Frozen Windows
by matthias4ever
Summary: Embry is sick and tired of hanging around his friends who all have imprinted. Until he finds this dark-haired beauty from Port Angeles. So why did Embry imprint to this girl, isn't the imprinting all about making new stronger werewolves?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Twilight**_**, all the characters that you recognize belong to **_**Stephenie Meyer**_**. **

Chapter 1

It was the first week at school after the break. I was so bored. Nothing was going to cheer me up, unless Lucy would like to go out with me today. Sitting in my Biology class, I had no clue what the teacher was talking about. Guess it had something to do with cells. I wasn't planning to go to college, so my grades didn't matter that much.

Jacob sat next to me. He wasn't paying attention either; he had this distant look in his eyes. That was the look when he thought about Nessie. I started to tap my finger against the desk. I was kind of jealous for Jake and for Quil, Sam, Paul and Jared. They all were so happy. I would have done anything to feel that way. The only love that I was getting at the moment was the one that my pack and Emily gave me. I wasn't even sure if my own mom loved me any more. We were growing apart, and it was all because of this werewolf thing. I really loved being a werewolf, but it would be nicer if my mom knew what I was doing.

"Embry, what's wrong?" Jake asked me. So he had finally stopped thinking about Nessie.

"Nothing. Let's go eat," I murmured. Food would distract Jacob. I didn't want to whine about my non-existing problems. My cell phone beeped in my pocket. I received a text message from Lucy. She wanted to know if we were going to do something today. _Yes!_ I thought to myself. That was just the kind of thing I wanted to do right now.

_How about a movie?_ I wrote.

_Sure. What time you'll pick me up?_

_I'll be there at 6 o'clock. OK?_

_See you then!_

Date settled. Thank God I wasn't on patrol today. I just wanted to have a nice peaceful day with my soon-to-be-girlfriend. And that didn't include my brothers.

Paul, Quil and Jared were already sitting on the cafeteria when Jacob and I arrived. They had the normal size food portion in front on them. Every one who wasn't a werewolf would think that as a huge amount of food.

"Hi guys," Jared said, stuffing more food in his mouth. I grabbed my sandwich, and started eating.

"Coming over to Sam's after school?" Jake asked all of us. Paul shook his head.

"Nope. I have a date with your sister," he said and winked.

"Keep your plans to yourself!" I exclaimed and acted like I was throwing up. Jared and Paul laughed. Jake didn't look too happy.

"Relax Jake! You'll see what happened anyway," Jared laughed. Jake glared back.

"Thanks for the reminder," Jake murmured. He was quite touchy about this whole Paul imprinting on Rachel. Well yeah, guess it was kind of gross to watch that stuff from Paul's head. And she was Jake's sister.

"Guess I'll go over for a couple of hours," I said, answering Jake's earlier question. Jared's brows knit together.

"Only for couple of hours?" Well, I guess that it was strange of me. Usually I stayed at Sam's for the whole day. I wasn't exactly interested of going home and hang out with my mom. The pack was my only family and my only friends. It was hard to get a good relationship with anyone, if you had to keep so big secrets from them.

"Paul's not the only one who's got a date," I informed them.

"Ooh…Who is she?" Quil asked. I rolled my eyes at them. They were getting pretty over exited about me dating. They didn't want me to feel like an outsider now, ever since all of them had imprinted.

"Lucy. She's from Forks. I have been out with here a couple of time you know. You've all seen her." Why would they remember my random dates?

"Ah! The shy girl, right?" Jake asked.

"Just the type what Embry likes!" Jared announced.

"Guess he likes to be the domineering one," Paul laughed. They all burst into laughter. I sighed.

"Get a life, morons," I said and stood up. I was just about to walk away from the cafeteria, when I heard Quil's voice.

"But Embry! You're my life!" I didn't turn to look at them. I just gave them the finger.

Jake drove us to Sam's. The Rabbit was kind of small for guys like us. Thank God the drive wasn't long.

"Emily's baking!" Quil said, thrilled, and ran into the house. Jake, Jared and I walked calmly after him. Collin, Brady and Seth were already sitting on the table, eating fresh baked muffins.

"Hi Emily!" I blurted. Emily had bright smile on her face, as usual.

"Hi boys. How's school?" she asked as she put new muffins down the table.

"Fine," we all murmured together.

"Boys, you really should work harder for school!" Emily was all about the education.

"It's not like we're going to college any way…" Jake said quietly.

"Still. Education is really important, you know. After all, I don't want to have a pack of stupid werewolves around when the baby comes!" she said. Everyone was suddenly really quiet.

"You…You're having a baby?" Seth asked. We all were staring at Emily. She nodded.

"Just found out this morning," she said. She was smiling widely. We were in shock. Seth was the first one to recover. He jumped up from his chair and went straight to hug Emily.

"That's so great! Congratulations!" We all hugged Emily in turn, and told her congratulations. I was so happy for Sam and Emily.

"Does Sam know?" Collin asked eagerly. Emily laughed.

"Of course, you silly! Do you think that I would have told you if Sam didn't know?"

"I really hope it's a boy," Brady said after a minute. We all laughed. I guess it would be more fun to have a baby boy around. Claire was enough of the baby girls.

Sam arrived an hour later. He came straight to kitchen where we sat. His face brightened when he saw Emily. He ran straight into Emily's arms and started to kiss her so passionately, that I had to turn my head away. It was a bit too much emotion for me.

"Oh, get a room you two!" Quil cried and covered his eyes. Sam pulled away from Emily and rolled his eyes at Quil.

"I don't think that would do any good. I already have my own house, and I still can't have a minute on my own!" The kitchen suddenly filled with laughter. We truly were like one big family.

"I have to go now," I said at five o'clock. I had to take a shower before picking Lucy up.

"Have fun with your _girlfriend_," Brady said.

"Whatever." Why couldn't they just mind their own business?

My mom wasn't home when I arrived. I was relieved, not enjoying having to answer all my mom's stupid questions of what I was doing and who was I with. I ran upstairs to my room. I was really untidy. All my clothes, dirty and clean, were on the floor. I had few posters of my favorite bands on the wall, my desk was covered in books, and my bed was unmade. It was kind of homey. My room was comfortable, kind of like me.

I stripped and headed to the shower. I heard the door open in downstairs when I opened the faucet. Mom was home from her grocery run.

I showered quickly, put a towel around my waist, and walked to my room to get ready.

I picked one of my many black t-shirts. I found a pair of jean shorts and put them on. I was ready to go. But first I had to face my mom.

"Where do you think you're going, Embry?" I turned just to see my mother's angry face when I got to downstairs. My mom was a small woman. She had the same russet skin and the same black hair that I had. My relationship with mom never had been good. Not even before she thought I was doing drugs.

"If you really have to know, I'm going to Port Angeles with Lucy", I snapped. I knew that she was just worried about me, but I really didn't like that she have to stick her nose into my business.

"Who is Lucy?" Mom shouted. But I had already turned my back to her and was walking away. I had promised to pick Lucy up.

I parked my black pick-up truck in front of Lucy's house. Lucy was already waiting for me on the porch. I smiled when I saw her. She was just the kind of girl that I liked; pretty, feminine and small. Lucy had long curly blonde hair and green eyes. This was the third time I was going out whit her. She was really nice, maybe a bit shy, but really fun to be whit. She covered her head with her hands as she run to my car. It never stops raining in here.

"Hello," she greeted me. I didn't want to waste any words, so I leaned towards her, kissed her gently, then pulled away. We really weren't yet in a passionate state in our relationship, but that was fine by me.

We didn't talk much on the way to Port Angeles. We were going to catch a movie. Some chick flick. Lucy had picked it, obviously. I decided to just going to watch her during the whole thing.

"Lucy, do you want something to eat?" I asked when we walk into the movie theater.

"Some popcorn would be nice," she said. God, she was pretty.

"Sure thing!"

I didn't see an employee behind the counter. So we went to the counter to wait until the employee came back.

"You want small or large?" I asked Lucy while we waited.

"What ever you want," Lucy said with a smile.

"Large it is," I said and smirked.

The employee arrived. I just froze. I couldn't think straight. Something hit me hard. There was an odd feeling in my stomach. I felt dizzy. This couldn't be happening to ME. Jake really had it right, gravity moved. She was suddenly my sun. My life. She was every thing I needed. I had seen this through my brothers' minds. But when it actually happens to you…

She was the most beautiful thing in the world. She had long black hair. It reached all the way to her waist. She was tall, about 5´8´´. And her eyes… They were steel gray. So piercing. It was like she could see all the way to my soul. Her face was heart-shaped. Her lips were quite small. She looked very sporty, but also very exotic.

I couldn't believe that I stood in front of my other half. My soul mate. The love of my life. She was my everything. I wanted to touch her brown skin. I never had wanted something so much. I wanted to be with her every second. I wanted to know everything about her. I wanted to know how she would feel in my arms. Bur I didn't want to scare her of. I loved her, and I didn't want her to hate me.

"Hi," I whispered. She had this strange look in her eyes. It was kind of amused, but there was something more... I think I saw disbelief. Suddenly the smile disappeared from her beautiful face. There was no emotion in her words.

"How can I help you?" I couldn't think anything to say. I was speechless. Her voice was more beautiful than anything. Even when it was so cold and bored. I had finally discovered my favorite singer.

"Um...Large popcorn, please?" was all I managed to say. She turned to fill the cup with popcorn. I gave the money for her before she could ask. I wanted to please her every way as possible.

"Have a nice evening," she said. She gave the change to me. I wanted to stay with her. Then I felt Lucy's arm on my waist. I wanted to push her away. What was I supposed to tell Lucy? _Hi Lucy. I really can't date you any more, because I just found my other half. _I had to think something. And very fast.

"Embry, come on! Were going to miss the movie," Lucy's voice said. She started to pull me away from the counter. I saw my soul mate trying to hide her smile. I didn't want her to hide it! I wanted to make her happy, to see her laugh.

But I had to go with Lucy. I was going to break up with her after the movie. I shot one last glance at my soul mate. I loved her so much.

I wanted to see her. She was everything to me now. I had never guessed that this would happen to me. I always thought that I would be the one with "normal" life. I never wanted that. But now I was thrilled. I loved her. I wanted her. I wanted to know everything about her. But I was stuck with Lucy and I couldn't even see her face anymore. Now that I had met _her, _I wondered what had I ever seen in Lucy. She was nothing compared to _her._

**A/N: So, this is my first fanfic, and I am writing a story in English for the first time :) Thanks to my beta, you did great job with the first chapter. **

**What did you think about the chapter 1? Please review! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, all the characters that you recognize belong to Stephenie Meyer

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, all the characters that you recognize belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

Chapter 2

I didn't watch the movie at all; I just couldn't concentrate on it. It wouldn't have been very smart to run off now. She would think I was some sort of lady's man. After all, she had just seen me with Lucy and would definitely think her my girlfriend. I had to be smooth. I didn't want her to push me away just because I was too eager, so I sat beside Lucy for an hour. She was trying to get closer to me, but I had to push her away. I would never ever again want to touch any woman other than her. She was the most beautiful women I've ever seen. She looked so exotic. I wondered where her parents were from. Brown skin and grey eyes were such a bizarre combination.

After an hour I couldn't take it any more. I had to see her. It felt like I was running out of oxygen. I didn't need anything as badly as I needed her.

"Lucy," I whispered. She looked up at me expectantly. What had I ever seen in her?

"I have to go to the men's room." That was the best excuse I came up with. She nodded. I sighed from relief when I made it out of the theater. My whole body felt that she was closer to me now. I almost took of running. The only thing that stopped me was the people all around the room. I received some odd looks, but I didn't care. The only thing that mattered to me now was her. She was the only thing that made me worry.

My heart missed a beat when I saw her again. My stomach twisted but in a pleasant way. She was looking bored in her orange apron as she served a customer when I reached the counter.

"Have a nice evening," she said to the customer, still looking bored. Here voice was beautiful, even when it was so cold. I wanted to make her laugh. Her face took an odd look, when she saw me. I wasn't sure what it was. I couldn't read her face.

"How can I help you?" she asked. I could swear that her voice was more polite. I could hear the curiosity. I smiled to her. I guess I looked like a lovesick puppy. I chortled a little to my self, I kind of was a lovesick puppy.

"I'm Embry," I said and offered my hand to her. She looked at me. Her face was puzzled, but she reached to shake it.

"I'm Vinnie," she said with a little smile. Vinnie? That couldn't be her real name. No parent could be that cruel and name baby girl as a Vinnie. I raced a brow and heard her laughing quietly. Ah… That was the sound I had been waiting to hear. It sounded heavenly. Maybe I had died and came to heaven. This girl, Vinnie, certainly was my definition of heaven.

"Guess you're not the only one with an odd name." She was trying to hide her smile, but I didn't want her to. It was so beautiful.

"I think that my mom just watched a little too much soap operas when she was waiting me", I told her. This was the first time when I wasn't bothered by the mocking of my name. She could mock me if that made her happy.

"Poor you," she said and smirked. So she was a playful person. I smirked back.

"I bet that Vinnie isn't your real name. No parent could name that beautiful girl Vinnie," I couldn't help saying that. She looked a little embarrassed, but she quickly composed herself..

"You're right. It's not my real name. I'm actually Winona," she said with a sigh. So she didn't like her real name. I wanted to ask, but she spoke before I could open my mouth.

"Do you want some coke or something? You shouldn't keep her waiting." The smile had disappeared. That made me sad. I wanted to reach across the counter and pull the corner of her lips up with my thumb.

"Her?" I couldn't concentrate.

"That blonde girl was definitely not your sister," her voice was cold again.

"I guess it's our last date. It's not working out." I didn't want to talk about Lucy. I looked at the clock. Damn, I should get back… I still had to dump Lucy and the movie wasn't going to last much longer.

"Can I have your number?" I asked, suddenly afraid. What if she didn't want to see me ever again? She had a doubtful look on her face. I sighed in relief when she nodded. She took a napkin and wrote her cell phone number on it. I smiled stupidly at her.

"Thank you. I have to go now. But I will call you", I promised. She smiled but looked confused. I wanted ask her about that, but I really had to go. I didn't want Lucy to come look for me. I turned my back to her unwillingly. I didn't want to be apart from her. I turned to watch her one more time.

"By the way; I like your name, Winona!" I called at her with a grimace.

"Oh, you just keep that going, Embry!" she said and burst into laughter. God, I loved that girl!

Vinnie wasn't there when we left. Her shift was already over. I sighed heavily. Lucy looked up at me. She looked concerned. We walked in silence to my car. I didn't want to talk, so I turned the radio on. Lucy kept looking at me from the corner of her eye. She knew that something wasn't right.

I killed the engine when we reached her house. I took a deep breath.

"Lucy…" I started, but she interrupted me.

"Embry please don't say you don't want to see me again!" she cried. It hurt, hurting Lucy. She was a sweet girl but she wasn't for me.

"Lucy, I don't think this is going to work. You deserve better than me, anyway." I didn't want to look at her. But I did. I saw the silent tears running down on her cheeks. She looked up at me and wiped her tears off.

"If that's what you really want, Embry." I could hear the pain in her voice. I hated myself for that, but this had to be done. I was lucky that I hadn't fallen for Lucy as deeply as Sam had with Leah.

"I'm so sorry, Lucy." I really was. Lucy nodded once, then ran inside. I sighed one last time and drove away. Now I could think of Vinnie.

It was ten o'clock when I reached my house. I considered of going inside and surprising my mom to see me home this early. I was anxious. I couldn't sit still. I just wanted to be with Vinnie. I knew it was too late for phone calls. She would think I was crazy if I called her now. The next best thing was running. That would ease my anxiousness.. I pulled the t-shirt of and throw it on the car seat. I walked to the woods behind the house, stripped, and phased. I was feeling better already.

Hi, Embry, Seth called. I didn't answer him.. I was just thinking of Vinnie. Her smooth black hair, her high cheekbones, her perfect voice, her grey eyes…

I'm so happy for you, Embry! Quil said as soon as he saw my thoughts.

Congratulations, Embry, said Sam's voice.

So when can we meet her? Quil asked. He really was happy about the new addition of our family. I went through the events on my mind. All three of them watched eagerly.

Call her soon. She seems nice. I bet she's going to drive Paul crazy! Seth laughed. Quil and Sam joined him.

Yeah, Yeah. Just give me some time. She has no idea about everything. This is not as easy as it was with Rachel or Emily. She probably has no idea that there even is a tribe near, I said.. I was starting to worry about how she would react.

Take your time, Embry. No need to rush it, Sam said.

I think you should go tell to Emily and the others, Seth recommended. Quil and Sam agreed.

Okay, I'll go, I said and changed my direction, heading to Sam's.

I stopped at the woods and howled so that someone would know to bring shorts for me. Minutes later I saw Jake approaching.

"Hi Embry, how was your date?" he asked and tossed the shorts for me when I had phased back.

"I-I don't think that I'm going to see Lucy again," I said. It was hard to say anything. My mind was full of images of Vinnie.

"I thought you liked her," Jake said, looking confused.

"Yeah, I did. I have something to tell. Is everybody inside?"

"Yeah, except the ones on patrol. Even Kim and Rachel are there. Movie night, you know," Jake smirked. I saw he really wanted to hear my news.

Everybody was in the living room. Paul and Jared sat at Kim and Rachel's feet. Everybody else was on the couch or on the armchairs. I cleared my throat. All eyes focused on me.

"Embry has something to tell us," Jake announced. I didn't know where to start.

"Just spit it out! I want to watch the movie," Paul said. Rachel slapped his shoulder.

"It-it happened to me," I spit out. Quil looked at me confused.

"What happened?" I didn't have the time to answer. Emily came right a cross the room and pulled me in a hug.

"I'm so happy for you!" she cried and hugged me tighter.

"Thanks," I said. Paul looked frustrated.

"Could someone just please tell me what's going on? We all aren't mind readers like that leech," he spat. Leah rolled her eyes.

"How blind are you Paul? He obviously imprinted. How stupid can you be?" Leah asked. I was thankful that she knew what I was thinking so that I didn't have to say it. Then they all started to congratulate me. I hated this attention.

"What's her name Embry?" Collin asked. They were all staring at me.

"Her name is Vinnie." My voice was suddenly calm. Just thinking about her calmed me down.

"Vinnie?" Quil snorted. "What kind of name is that?"

"It's just a nickname. Her real name is Winona. Didn't get the chance to ask her too much about the name," I told them.

"Odd girl. Winona is pretty name. I would have been offended I someone called me Vinnie," Rachel said.

"By the way, what did you say to Lucy?" Jake asked. He hadn't forgotten her.

"I just had to dump her. It's lucky that I had gone only a couple dates with her," I said.

"Yeah, lucky you," Leah murmured. Of course she would feel bad for Lucy. Leah was Sam's Lucy. And I was sure she was jealous. She hated to be one of the oldest with no imprint. She had been thinking that she and I were the same. She had counted on me to be the lonely one with her. I wanted to comfort her, but I knew she would push me away.

"Embry, you must be hungry," Emily said. Oh man, was I hungry. Weird; I hadn't noticed that. I had been so deep in my thoughts. Ah, Vinnie… I was going to call her tomorrow morning. I couldn't wait to see her again. I wondered what the love of my life was doing now.

**A/N: Here is the chapter two, hope you liked it :) Next chapter will be on Vinnie's POV. Thanks to my beta, and all of you who read the first chapter. Please review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, all the characters that you recognize belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

Chapter 3 (Vinnie's POV)

The next day I woke up at eight. On a Saturday! I never woke up before ten on the weekend. Something had gone terribly wrong yesterday; all night I had dreamed about him. Embry. I laughed to myself. I was so pathetic. I meet a guy, he shows me a little bit of interest and I go nuts. Yeah, way to go Vinnie. I couldn't believe that I was so excited about this. I had seen him once. I did give him my cell phone number, but it was just stupid to expect him to call. This was the first guy that even looked at me. I just wasn't that kind of girl that guys liked; I was too tall, too skinny… I sighed and shook my head. I just had to get this stuff out of my head. I put my sweats and t-shirt on and left downstairs.

Mom and Dad were already up. They had split the newspaper. My dad had the sports and my mom had everything else. My parents looked totally different. My dad was African American. He had darker colored brown skin than I had, but we shared the same kind of silky black hair. My eyes were exactly like my mother's. Steel grey and large. My mom had white skin and light brown hair. My parents were both the same height as I was, 5 ´9´´. My two older brothers looked just like me, but they had my father's brown eyes. I considered myself lucky to have grey eyes. It was the best part of me.

My parents looked up when they heard me approaching. They both frowned when they saw me.

"Vinnie, why on earth are you up?" my mother asked.

"I didn't have the best night sleep," I answered evasively.

"Why is that?" My dad could never just drop the subject.

"The first week at school is affecting me, I guess," I mumbled. I was so not going to tell my parents what really had affected on me. My parents, thankfully, accepted my excuse.

I had to wait three hours before I could call Julie without waking her up. She was as much of a sleepyhead as I was. I had nothing to do, so I just sat on the couch and watched some stupid cooking show. That only made me hungry.

After those painful three hours, I went to the porch so nobody would hear my phone call with Julie. I dialed her number and waited.

"Vinnie, why are you calling me in the morning? And why are you even up to make this phone call?" asked Julie in a sleepy voice.

"I was wondering if you would like to go jogging with me," I said. Normally I would have chuckled at Julie's questions, but I was too anxious today.

"Jogging? Me? You know I don't jog or run. Why aren't you going with Russell like always?" Russell was my second best friend. He was on the track team, and loved running like I did. Julie was just as sporty as I was, but she hated jogging. Lacrosse was her thing.

"Well I have something what I would like to talk with you. Girl thing, you know." Julie was quiet for a moment.

"Who are you, and what have you done to Vinnie? I'm really scared. We have had only one girl talk, and that was when we were thirteen and you had serious crush on my brother," Julie said slowly.

"I know this isn't like me, but something happened yesterday. I have been really anxious since then. I woke up at eight!"

"Vinnie, are you telling me you met some guy that you actually like?" Now she was really shocked.

"Yeah, I am. I gave my phone number to him," I confessed. Then I heard Julie laughing.

"Ok, tell me when I start calling you Winona! I'll be there in thirty minutes, we really need to talk. See you soon, bye-bye!" Julie said and hung up.

She arrived soon after, parking her car next to my dad's. Julie was over four inches shorter than me. She was curvy with brown hair and hazel eyes. She was everything that I wasn't. She looked normal. Julie wasn't considered as a freak. But people still avoided her, because they thought me a freak. I really thought I was normal. I guess they just don't like tomboys. I was very lucky to have Julie and Russell. They loved me just the way I was. And they really liked hanging out with me.

Julie jumped out of her car. She smiled wickedly at me. This was not good. When Julie had that grin on her face, I was in trouble.

"Well hello there, Winona!" she called cheerfully. I groaned.

"Can we go?" I sighed.

"Sure, I want to hear everything! This is the first time you have something to tell me. I'm so excited!" She jumped up and down and I rolled my eyes. I was actually relieved that Julie was here for me. And she wouldn't really make fun of me… Okay, she would.

"But I don't want to jog!" Julie announced. I laughed a bit and set off walking.

I was quiet for a while; I didn't know how to put this. It was hard to have this girl talk, since I only had it once before. I wasn't that giggling girly girl. Neither was Julie. But she was closer to it. I was no where near.

"Just start from the beginning," Julie said. She always knew what I was thinking. I smiled at her.

"Okay, here I go. Yesterday, I arrived at work. It was just a regular day, no surprises. I served the customers as usual. It was around seven o'clock when I saw them. I was just coming from my bathroom break and they were at the counter. There was this tiny blonde girl with curly hair and wide smile. She was really pretty. And then there was him…" I trailed off.

"Go on. What did he look like?" Julie encouraged me to continue.

"He was the best looking guy that I had ever met. You know that I'm tall, but I'm nothing compared to this guy. He was, like, a foot taller than me! He had this pretty russet color skin, and black short choppy hair. He was really big. But his face was beautiful. I can't even describe it…" I went on and told her everything that had happened. Julie didn't talk much. She commented only one time, that was when I told her his name.

"Embry? Really? Jeez, what on odd name!" I had to laugh with her. The name really was weird, it sounded like a name from a bad soap opera.

I felt so much better when I had told Julie everything. I would have exploded if had keep all that stuff to myself. We walked in silence after I had finished. I had one question in my mind.

"Do you think he'll call?" Julie looked up at me.

"Well, you said that girl with him was definitely not his sister. But the way you told he looked at you. He really was interested in you. I think he'll call," Julie said with a smile. I smiled too.

"Thanks Julie. You're a great friend," I told her. I didn't often say these touchy things, so Julie knew I really meant it. We had been best friends since kindergarten, after all. Julie probably knew me better than I did.

"You're welcome, Vinnie," she said cordially. Then her tender smile changed into a wicked smirk.

"Or should I call you Winona?" she laughed and I punched her in shoulder. We both burst into laughter. I was blissfully happy to have my great friends.

I didn't have to work this evening. Russell, Julie and I decided that Saturday would be our movie night. We weren't popular, so partying was out of the question. I was kind of a wild child, but I didn't like parties.

My dad had wanted girl so much after two boys. I think that dad was a bit disappointed when I wasn't the kind of girl that needed dad's protection. I never played with dolls when I was a kid. I always played baseball and that kind of stuff with my brothers. I have two older brothers; Stephan is three years older than me. He was 21, and studied History in Washington. He was visiting home that weekend. Dillon was 19 and he went to college in California. Together, they taught me all of that boy stuff. They wanted to have baby brother, but since they got me, they did the next best thing: train me as a boy.

I did all kinds of crazy stuff. If someone dared me, I just had to do it. One time this stupid kid Cameron dared me to jump on the tree. I had a cast on my foot for four weeks. That was my wild child side. Skydiving was my not-so-secret dream. I would do that someday.

We were supposed to watch the movie at Julie's. We all brought some snacks, but the host got to decide the movie. Russell suffered from my movie choices. I was a tomboy, but I loved chic flicks.. My favorites were Dirty Dancing, Titanic, Pretty Woman, Shakespeare in Love and Grease. Julie preferred horror. She was into all those psychotic things like Silence of the Lambs. That movie freaked me out. And The Shining… I couldn't watch Jack Nicholson's film ever again. Russell was into classics. I'm not sure what the classics are. I don't consider Star Wars, Russell's favorite, a classic. I hate sci-fi.

I had my hopes up when I arrived at Julie's. I had been pretty anxious after she left this afternoon. I was willing to watch even slaughtering. I just wanted the company of my friends. I had been glancing my cell all day. I wanted him to call me so bad. I had tried to tell myself not to expect much; I didn't want to get disappointed. I hated myself for liking this guy so much; he was nothing more than a stranger! You're so stupid Vinnie, I told to myself. I sighed and knocked on the door.

Julie's younger brother Shaun opened the door. He was just fifteen but had grown very much since the last time I had seen him. (He was now taller than me.) He looked exactly like Julie, but with short hair.

"Hi Vinnie. Russell and Julie are in the living room," Shaun said. God, his voice was low.

"Hi Shaun, you've grown!" I smirked and he smirked back at me.

"Yeah, who's the tallest now?" Shaun asked playfully. He had always been a nice kid. I smiled and headed to the living room.

Julie and Russell were on their knees in front of the TV. I smiled to myself. Julie wasn't exactly the miracle child of technology. Russell instructed her about the activities of the DVD player. He really was a sweet guy. When he had moved to Port Angeles five years ago, Julie and I had instantly made friends with him and had been best friends ever since. Russell wasn't a bad looking guy; he had a great body, thanks to running. His hair was long, messy, and chocolate brown. His eyes were the same color. He wasn't that tall, just an inch shorter than I was.

"The miracle child of technology!" I mocked Julie. The looked up and smiled at me.

"Winona, how are we today?" Russell asked. Damn Julie. Of course she couldn't keep a secret from Russell. We shared everything. I wasn't upset. I would have probably told it to him by myself.

"Oh, shut up, shorty," I murmured. Russell laughed.

"I'm not going to make fun of you, don't worry. We knew this day had to come eventually," Russell said with a sigh.

"Our baby is growing up!" Julie cried. I rolled my eyes to them. I didn't want to talk about this. I was glad when they dropped it.

"So what's tonight's movie?" I asked. I still hoped it wouldn't be some terrible film where someone slaughtered the whole town.

"Well, because you're a bit emotional today, I didn't want to make you watch horror. So I chose… Edward Scissorhands!"

"I love that movie!" I rejoiced.

"I know; that's why I picked it up. I wanted to cheer you up a bit," Julie said. Good movies always cheered me up. Who could resist Johnny Depp?

The only time I cry is during movies but when I start to bawl, watch out. My friends mocked me at first, but they got used to it. Movies were the only time I showed emotion. I cried a lot during this one; it was just so sad! Eventually, it ended at nine. Usually we watched two movies, but I was just so tired tonight. (It might have had something to do with the fact that I had woken up at eight.) I said good night to my friends and left.

I had just turned my car off when it happened. I had waited the whole day and it was finally happening. But no, it could just be Julie calling and telling me that I had forgotten something. My heart raced. My hands were all sweaty when I reached for my cell. I swallowed loudly.

It wasn't Julie. There were only numbers I didn't recognize.

"Hello?" I answered the phone.

"Is this Vinnie?" a husky voice asked. I would know that voice from anywhere.

"Yes. Who am I talking to?" I didn't want to sound too eager. I might scare him off.

"It's Embry Call. We met yesterday at the movie theater. Do you remember me?"

I sure did.

**A/N: What did you think? Did you like Vinnie? Please review and tell me what you thought. ****Thanks to my beta and all of you who reviewed :) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, all the characters that you recognize belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

Chapter 4 (Embry's POV)

I had been wondering all day what would happen when I called her, restless all the while. What if she had given me the phone number to a local pizza place? So I went to web, and checked if there were any pizzerias that used the number that Vinnie had given me. I had never felt this unsure about myself in my entire life. Vinnie made me feel all kind of things. I was worrying about her, wondering if she had somehow hurt herself while away from me, but at the same time I felt practically ecstatic at the thought of hearing her voice again. But what if she didn't want me? How could I take that? I didn't even recognize all the emotions rushing through the chaos that was my mind. But I recognized love; that was the strongest feeling. I smiled though there were butterflies in my stomach as I saw her face in my mind. I knew my mental pictures did no justice to her beauty.

"Embry, knock it off!" Jared exclaimed. I had been tapping my fingers against the kitchen table. Jared and Jake were sitting around the table with me.

"Sorry," I murmured, dazed. It was dinner time, and I still hadn't called her. I couldn't call now. She was probably having dinner with her family.

"You know, she _will_ like you," Jake asserted. I scowled at him.

"You don't know that! She could hate me; she could become afraid of me…" I trailed off. What if she did? I would hate myself so much. I didn't want to scare her. I would make her smile, I promised to myself.

"You are made for each other! She'd be very stupid if she can't see that," Jake said.

"She's not stupid!" I growled at him. How could he say that?! I had never said a bad thing about Renesmee. And _she_ was a freak. Jake raised his hands in surrender.

"Of course she's not. I was just trying to tell you that you're stupid for not calling her!" Jake said. He was right; I would have to call her. But not this minute. I would have to think about what to tell her. Should I ask her on a date? Yeah, she would have to get know to me before I would break the news. I had to think this before telling her anything. I would call her in three hours tops.

A couple of hours later I was ready. I took a deep breath and dialed the numbers that Vinnie had written on the napkin. Her handwriting was sloppy. I grinned. Even her scrawls were lovely to me. I pressed the call button. Please let it be the right number, I prayed. I was so nervous.

"Hello?" _Yes! It is her! _I rejoiced. Her voice was fuller than yesterday. She sounded tense, but in a good way.

"Are you Vinnie?" I knew it was her, but I didn't want to sound like a stalker.

"Yes. Who am I talking to?" her voice had softened. I loved it.

"It's Embry Call. We met yesterday at the movie theater. Do you remember me?" I asked. What if she had forgotten me? What if I was just one of her many admirers?

"Yeah, I would remember _your_ name anywhere," she joked. She remembered me! was my only thought. I had never felt this happy before.

"So, um…I was wandering if you would like to go out with me tomorrow?" I asked hesitantly. I was so unsure about my self, again. The line was silent for a moment. The fear of rejection made my hands sweat. It was the longest five seconds of my life.

"Yes, sure, I would like that. Where should we meet?" YES! I was going out with the love of my life! I was high with happiness. No drugs could ever give me this feeling.

"Well, I don't know where you live so I guess I can't pick you up from your house…"

"What if we see outside the movie theater?" she suggested quickly. She clearly didn't want me to know her address. I was, after all, a stranger to her.

"I see you there at… is seven o'clock okay with you?" I asked.

"Sure. I'll see you there," she said as the quick conversation drew to a close. I wanted to keep talking to her, but I didn't want to make her do something she would feel uncomfortable with.

"See you then. Bye!" I said.

"Bye!"

I phased. I didn't have any better things to do. The strong emotions were easier to handle when you were a wolf. Not that I didn't enjoy my overly happy emotions, I just wanted to take a small break from thinking. I wanted my senses to rule me. I wanted to run. Fast.

I was alone for a while. After the Cullens left, there was no need for patrols around the clock. We check our lands at least twice a day. I didn't really think that was necessary; Sam was just being paranoid. I know he was just trying to keep the tribe safe, but vampires hardly ever crossed our lands since there were no vampires here anymore. Everything had calmed down after the Cullens had moved to Olympia. Edward and Bella visited Jacob occasionally, when he was babysitting Nessie.

The forest was quiet when I was running across it. I was so absorbed on my own thoughts, that I didn't notice Leah before she spoke.

_Oh, you're here. _She was disappointed. I saw memory's flash through her mind. She was escaping from Sam and Emily, again. I sighed mentally, why couldn't she just stop phasing? We would all be happier.

_Yeah, just get rid of Leah, nobody needs her. _Leah was trying to hide her sadness behind her sarcasm.

_You know I don't mean it like that. You would be happy, and you could have babies. Isn't that what you want?_

_Yeah, I would like to have babies, but not yet. You know, I enjoy this stuff too much to quit. And when I do quit, it won't happen __because of Sam. Besides I'll bet that Sam is going to stop phasing after the baby is born. _So that was Leah's plan, to get rid of Sam and to enjoy her life. I could only imagine how much happier Leah would be. But I wasn't exactly sure if Sam was going to stop. He still was physically older than Emily. Leah's issues weren't interesting enough to keep my mind busy. Vinnie's face and voice started slinking to my thoughts.

_Ugh. I'm going home. _Leah thought and started running towards her house.

_I'm sorry Leah. _I wasn't sure what I was apologizing, I just felt sorry for her. Leah didn't answer to me, just phased quickly back to human. I had nothing more to do, so I took off too and run to my house.

The next morning was unbearable. The night had gone by quite easily, since I was pretty tired. I had just fallen on to the bed and begun snoring. The night before had been restless. Meeting Vinnie had thrown me of the track, I slept only five hours.

I woke up way to early. I had to wait twelve hours before I could see Vinnie. I decided to start my day with a shower.

After showering and dressing up, I went to downstairs to get some breakfast. My Mom looked surprised when she saw me coming. She was sitting by the table, wearing her pajamas and dressing gown.

"Good morning Embry. Would you like me to make an omelet for you?" Mom stud up and went by the stove.

"Morning. That would be nice, thanks." I picked the paper from kitchen counter and sat down to read it.

"How many eggs do you want?"

"Five. No, six." Mom nodded and started breaking the eggs into bowl.

"Did you read page seven yet?" Mom asked and turned to look at me. I shook my head and turned page seven of the paper. There were no big titles, only small stories.

"Some kid died last week because he took an overdose of heroin." Oh, here we go again!

"Mom, how many times I have to say it? I'm not doing drugs!" The day had begun well, but now my mood was ruined.

"What else am I supposed to think? You're always disappearing in the middle of the night, and you act like you have some big secret."

"You know the guys I'm hanging with. You know Quil and Jake; they're good guys, and you said it yourself once upon a time." I was starting to get angry.

"Yes, they seem decent enough. And your behavior is much better now than it was a year ago. But after Friday you started acting all weird again. I care for you Embry; I'm your mother. You know you can tell me everything." Mom looked sad, and I couldn't take it.

"I'm fine Mom, I just met someone on Friday," I murmured. I didn't want to talk to her about my private life.

"Who is it? Was it this Lucy?"

"No, it's not her. I met Vinnie in Port Angeles, and I'm going to take her out this evening." I wasn't too happy about the fact that I had revealed a secret to her. But I guess it didn't matter, if everything was going the way I planned, Mom would meet Vinnie soon. Very soon, if I had anything to sdo with it.

"Oh, that's nice." Mom said and put the large omelet on the plate. She was dying to know more about this mysterious Vinnie, but so was I. I couldn't tell her much even if I wanted to, which I didn't. Mom put the plate in front of me and I started stuffing the food in my mouth. Mom sat besides me and continued drinking her coffee.

"Where are you taking her?"

"I don't know, we're supposed to meet in front of the movie theater."

"Oh, you should take her to that lovely café next to the theater," Mom said, sounding a little too excited. It seemed like she was guessing that Vinnie would be, hopefully, her future daughter-in-law.

"Thanks, I'll consider it." Mom smiled widely. Maybe she would be happier because she didn't have to think where I was. I wouldn't have to lie to her, just say that I was with Vinnie. I had changed so much in a short amount of time. Friday afternoon I was sobbing and now I was thrilled. Suddenly I loved life and more importantly, I loved Vinnie. I didn't want anything as badly as I wanted her to love me. I needed her love, without it I would suffocate like a fish in dry land.

"Embry?" Mom called me and I jumped a little.

"Huh?" Did she say anything that I was supposed to answer?

"Nothing, you just seem to be so deep in your thoughts."

"I was just thinking about tonight."

"You must really like this girl."

"Where'd you get that?"

"You just look so much happier, Embry," Mom said and smiled. I smiled back at her. I had already finished eating, and I was putting the plate and fork into the dishwasher. Mom stood in front of me. Suddenly she pulled me into a tight hug. I was surprised, but hugged her back. It must've looked goofy. Mom was so small compared to me, that she could be child, not the adult.

"You know, Embry, I really love you."

"I love you too, Mom," I whispered and hugged her even tighter.

I was sitting on my car, driving to Port Angeles. The closer I got to Port Angeles center, the more nervous I became. I was going to see Vinnie; it was just a matter of minutes. I drove past the grocery store; the movie theater was just a block away. Minutes passed. Then I saw her, standing in front of the cinema, just like we had agreed. My beautiful angel was waiting for me. A wide smile appeared on my face.

**What did you think? Please review! Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, and also thanks for my beta, you're the best :) So Vinnie's and Embry's first date is up next. I wrote it on Embry's POV, but the chapter 6, will be on Vinnie's POV again. Hope you like it! **


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, all the characters that you recognize belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter 5 (Embry's POV)

She was standing in front of the camera store, looking at her reflection in the display window. I smiled my stupid lovesick puppy smile. She was so pretty wearing those black jeans and a red V-neck blouse. Her hair was open just like when I saw her that first time. It was sunny today, and her black hair shined; I had never seen anything so beautiful. I parked my car and started walking towards her.

She hadn't noticed me; she was still looking at herself in the window. I ran my hand down her shoulder. I was sorry to see her waiting for me, but I was excited too; she had _wanted_ to see me.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long." I said. She turned around slowly. She had a wide smile that melted my heart. Her heart-shaped face was perfect, makeup-free. I was glad that she wasn't wearing any; she looked beautiful as herself.

"Not that long. I was just bored enough to stare myself." She joked and I let out a low chuckle. Vinnie was so easy to be with; I felt no awkward tension what so ever.

"So I wasn't that late. I bet there are plenty of guys how are anything but bored when they are looking at you." Her face was a perfect mask, not revealing any emotion.

"I highly doubt that." She said it so quietly that it clearly wasn't meant for me to hear me. Still, I chuckled.

"So, have you any ideas where we should go?" She was trying to change the subject, but I didn't protest. Movies were out; I wanted to be able to talk to her, get to know her better. I thought for a minute, then remembered the café my Mom had proposed. I looked down at her, suddenly feeling really unsure.

"Well, I heard there was this nice café next to the theater." My voice sounded weak even to my own eras. She couldn't possibly want to go anywhere with me, she could do so much better.

"Yeah, I would like that." Her words made my heart soar. I smiled at her happily. I was so close to Vinnie that I wanted just to take her in to my arms and never let go. I didn't do it; I was sure that she would run away screaming.

"Just that you know, I'm buying!" I could see that she was starting to argue with me. Her protests died when I took her small hand in mine. I just had to touch her, and even this little innocent touch was enough. My heart raced, fearing that she would shake my hand away and tell me to let her go.

"Embry, do you have a fever or something?" I uttered laughter. Of course my hand felt warm; I had totally forgotten all about my werewolf things, it was just so natural to be around her. She didn't pull her hand from mine; she just looked at me worried. I felt so happy that I had to squeeze her hand a little.

"No, I'm just warm blooded." It was kind of an inside joke, vampires being the cold ones and all. Vinnie didn't look too happy about my answer but she dropped the subject. I wasn't ready to reveal all my dark secrets to her just yet.

"Come on Vinnie! Let's get moving before its dark." I tried to make her forget my hand and I think it worked, because a wide smile appeared on her face.

I didn't even know what I was eating. All I could see was Vinnie. I had to know everything about her. I had already made her share everything about her family and pets. Vinnie took advantage every time I took a bite of what ever I was eating.

"So, where do you live? I hadn't seen you in Port Angles before Friday." I swallowed the food before answering.

"I'm from La Push." She furrowed her brows, looking unhappy.

"That's a long drive you know." Her answer made me smile. So she just wasn't happy about me driving so long to see her.

"Not that long. I'm happy I came." Driving to Port Angeles from La Push wasn't a big deal. I would drive to Seattle everyday to see her if she was living in there. Vinnie was quite, so I decided it was my turn to ask the questions again.

"So how old are you Vinnie?" I wanted to make sure I wasn't on a date with an underage girl.

"I just turned eighteen. Senior year in high school, how about you?" I sighed in relief.

"Same here."

"You know, you look much older than a senior, no offence." I had to laugh at her words. Like I would ever be offended about anything she would say, I loved her.

"I have heard that before." I had to know everything about her, so I made new questions.

"What's your favorite childhood memory?" She toughed it a little while before answering.

"I think it's the time when my cousins Elias and Alina were visiting us. I was six years old, Alina was nine. She wanted to do a makeover to me. She hated my clothes even back then. She was trying to make me ware her ugly pink dress. I protested, but Alina was half my size. Somehow I managed to get away from her. I started running, and of course I tripped on the threshold. I broke two fingers." She smirked at me. I was smiling widely. I could only imagine how cute she had been as a kid.

"That's sweet, except the broken fingers of course. So, do you have any hobbies?" I was willing to bet that she did something physical; she was in such a good shape.

"I play soccer." I was trying to hide my smile, I had been right. Soccer wasn't my favorite games, it was for girls.

"You play soccer?"

"Yeah, is there something you found funny about it?" She said it like it was a challenge.

"No, nothing really." She didn't look happy about me, and I had no idea what I had said wrong. I was unsure again.

"At least soccer is international," she said, almost accusatorily. I raised my hands as surrender. Oh my god, was she leaving me hear right here? I was frantic and tried to rectify my words.

"Hey, I never said anything bad about soccer." She looked at me with a blank face and then burst out laughing. I was frustrated; I didn't understand her at all.

"What are you laughing at?"

"You should have seen your face! It was like you were scared or something." She was wiping tears of mirth from her cheeks. I felt both good and bad; good because she was smiling and laughing and bad because I was still afraid that she would think I was some kind of freak.

"Well I was. I was afraid that you would leave me right here because I'm not a fan of soccer." I could never lie to her, so I told her what I felt. She looked suddenly serious when she was looking at me.

"I wouldn't do that. My friend Julie hates soccer, and I love her still. Besides, you're a nice guy, Embry. I like you; I wouldn't leave you here alone and let you pay the check." I couldn't believe what she was saying! I wanted to jump up and kiss her. Her full lips where defiantly calling me to kiss them. I constrained my self.

"You like me?" It sounded so unbelievable. Vinnie smiled and reach to take my hand in hers. I was high. The love of my life had just told me that she liked me and then touched me. I had never felt better.

"Yeah, you're fun to be with." My heart was singing. I was just about to tell her how much I liked her too, when her smile changed into a terrified look.

"They got to be kidding!" she hissed, looking at the door. I was feeling very confused. Vinnie's moods were swinging too quickly that I couldn't keep up with her. She ground, still looking at the door. I started to get worried.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

"Yes, something is very wrong." She pointed at the two people at the door. There were one boy and one girl; they were scanning the room like they were looking for someone.

"Who are they?"

"They are my dear nosy friends Julie and Russell." I didn't understand why she seemed to be so angry. Wasn't she happy about seeing her friends?

"So what's wrong? Ask them to come here. I'd like to meet your friends."

"I know Julie and Russell pretty well and it looks like they are spying on us." Why on earth would Vinnie's friends want to spy on us? Julie and Russell noticed us, smiling widely.

"Oh look, they're coming here!" I was happy to meet Vinnie's friends.

"Hi Vinnie!" Russell and Julie said on unison. Vinnie didn't answer; just buried her face in her hands. I wanted them to think me as a nice guy, so I stood up and introduced myself.

"Julie, I need to talk to you, _alone_." Vinnie said behind me, grabbed Julie's hand and headed to the ladies room. Russell and I just stood there quietly.

"So you and Julie are Vinnie's best friends, right?" I tried to make some conversation to fill the awkward silence.

"Yeah, we've been friends every since we moved in here." Russell's face was serious. "You seem like a nice guy, Embry, but you better not to hurt her." I understood his fear. I didn't want her to get hurt either; I would do anything to keep her safe.

"Don't worry Russell. I would never hurt her." Russell seemed to accept my promise and shook my hand.

"Vinnie's kind of new in this dating thing, so treat her well." I was surprised about his statement. I had thought that Vinnie would have had a plenty of boyfriends, she was so nice and funny. I was glad about it thought.

"I will." Russell smiled at me, apparently happy about me and my answers. I was happy that Vinnie had such a good friends who took care of her.

"So what kind of music do you like?" Russell asked, apparently trying to keep the conversation going.

"I like the Foo Fighters and the Red Hot Chili Peppers."

"Red Hot Chili Peppers is one of Vinnie's favorites too." We hadn't time to talk more, because the girls where coming towards us; Vinnie looking very frustrated and Julie smiling smugly. I stared at Vinnie, she was just so beautiful. I thought I could never get used to her beautiful face.

"Hi there girls." Russell greeted the girls. I didn't say anything, just watched Vinnie walking towards me. My smile grew wider as she walked closer. I wandered if I would feel this way every time I saw her.

"Russell, we really need to go now, I have something important to do." Julie said after clearing her throat. She was obviously lying; I bet Vinnie had told her to leave. That made me smile like a maniac. She wanted to be alone with me too!

"It was very nice to meet you Embry." Russell said to me.

"It was nice meeting you too," Russell and Julie started walking away. I heard Vinnie sigh.

"Is there something wrong?" She shook her head.

"No, I'm just embarrassed because of my friends." I smirked at her, she was being so absurd.

"Don't be. Your friends are quite… interesting. So what would we do next?"

I don't know. When do you have to leave to be home?" I didn't like her answer. Did she want me to leave?

"I don't care if I'm not on time. I'll leave when you have to go."

"I don't want you to get in trouble. I _do_ want your mom to let me see you again." She wanted to see me again!

"Yeah, we don't want that her to throw you out the door."

"Maybe you should leave in an hour, since it's a school night."

"Oh, well yeah, maybe. Can we go on a walk before I have to go?" It would be good to be home early, but I didn't want to let Vinnie go. I had to get to know her better.

"Let's go then."

I walked close to Vinnie. I did it on purpose; I just couldn't bear to be far away from her. I had been asking her every question about her life that popped into my mind. Now we were both quite. The side walk was lighted very dimly. I felt a very strong urge to kiss her. I couldn't do that yet; it would just scare her away. But I had to touch her. I stopped and turned to look at Vinnie.

"I had a great time, Vinnie."

"I had fun too." Her voice was as quite as a whisper.

"Can I see you again?" I took her hand in mine. She didn't even jump. I guess the warmth of my hand was welcome; I had seen her shivering from cold before. I could hear her pulse speed up. Her face looked puzzled. Was she afraid of me?

"Yeah, sure, how about next weekend?" Her breathing was uneven and hard.

"Do I have to wait that long?" Her heart raced again. I couldn't understand her. Why was her heart racing?

"I have my soccer practice tomorrow, and I'm working on Thursday and Friday. Beside, it's kind of a long way to La Push you know." Was that it? Or didn't she want to see me again?

"But can I see you on Wednesday after school? I'll drive here; you don't have to come to La Push." I could wait a week to see her again.

"Okay. I'll see you after school on Wednesday then. I call you about it, okay?" Her heart was racing and her smile looked genuine.

"I'll see you then!" I was so excited about our second date that I needed to kiss her. I had to touch her some way more closely than just holding hands. I had to take a risk. I leaned towards Vinnie and pulled her in my arms. She didn't try to back off, so I pulled her closer to me. She felt so nice, so soft. Her smooth hair smelled like orange. Her small body fitted in mine perfectly. I would have liked to stay like that forever, but it was time to let her go. I was just staring into her large grey eyes for a while before I could form a descent sentence.

"Where did you park your car?" She looked around, situating herself.

"Oh it's over there." She pointed at the red Toyota fifty feet away. I nodded and started walking towards it, never letting her hand away from mine. When we stopped by her car, I took her another hand in my free one. We were just staring each other and holding hands. Her eyes glittered in the light of the street lamps.

"I guess I have to say ´good night´ to you now." She said with a sigh, but didn't move to pull away. I pulled her in my arms once again. I rested my chin on her shoulder.

"Good night, Vinnie." She gasped and her heart started racing again.

"G-good night Embry." I let out a quiet laugh and pulled her tighter to me. Vinnie was the one to pull away this time. I didn't want to let her go just yet.

"I have to go now, Embry. I'll see you on Wednesday." She opened the car door and jumped in.

"Bye, Vinnie!"

I watched her driving away from me from the sidewalk. She waved at me, smiling happily. I sighed, not wanting to go home just yet. Or maybe I didn't have to go home just yet.

**A/N: I'm sorry that this update took me so long. The chapter has been ready for a while, but my e-mail had some problems. I didn't get if from my beta etc. But now it's finally here! I hope that you review and tell me what you thought. This was probably the longest chapter that I've written, but I promise that longer one's are still comming. I actually wrote two versions about this chapter. This one, as you see, is from Embry's POV, but the one I originally wrote was from Vinnies POV. Tell me if you want to read it too, so I'll post it. So I have written nine chapters for now, but you have to wait for my beta to correct them. Okay, enough for this chatter. Thanks for all who have read this and special thanks to them who have reviewed to every chapters. And also thanks for my beta, you do a great work. **

**matthias4ever**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, all the characters that you recognize belong to Stephenie Meyer. 

Chapter 6 (Vinnie's POV)

I was surprisingly happy when I arrived home. I'd had fun with Embry. He was so easy to be with; it was like I had known him forever. Embry seemed like an interesting person. He was kind of mysterious. He had been keeping secrets, I could tell.

I killed the engine of my car when I reach the front yard. I took my purse from the seat and walked inside.

"I'm home!" I announced and walked straight to the living room. Stephan was sitting in the couch watching TV.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" Stephan looked up at me.

"They're watching TV upstairs." Stephan's dark brown eyes looked at me curiously.

"Where have you been?" he asked after pressing the mute button. I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"Do you really have to stick your nose into my business?" I was annoyed. Stephan hardly ever noticed my existence. Why was he interested about me just now?

"I'm your big brother. It's just nice to now where your baby sister is." It was a lie, Stephan always scratched his jaw when he was lying, and he was scratching then.

"Fine, I was on a date, happy now?" Stephan's brows furrowed. Great, now I was never going to get upstairs and call Julie. I sat on the armchairs, waiting Stephan to start his harangue.

"Who is this guy, Vinnie? Why are you dating? I thought you wanted to concentrate on school and soccer."

"This is none of your business, Stephan, but I will tell you, because if I don't, I'll be sitting here until morning." I sighed and wondered just _what_ I was going to share with my brother.

"Okay, his name is Embry Call, he's from La Push. I'm dating because I feel like doing it and I want to concentrate on school and soccer, but I can still do other things, you know." Stephan crossed his arms and looked at me furiously.

"Vinnie, I think you shouldn't date this guy."

"And why is that? I'm eighteen for god's sake! I can date who ever I want. I'm not a baby, you know. You are being such a hippogriff. You brought your first girlfriend home when you were fifteen." I was so angry with Stephan! I could have ripped his head off.

"I know that, Vinnie," his voice was still calm. "But I know why guys your age think. You have to be careful." Oh, _now_ he was being the overprotective brother.

"I know perfectly well that guys of my age only think about sex." I said and stood up. Stephan looked repentant. "I appreciate your concern, but you should have said it a little differently. My dating isn't one of your concerns. Thanks for the warning about horny teenagers, by the way." I was harsh on Stephan, but I couldn't bear it when he had to stick his nose into someone else's business. I knew I had overreacted a bit, but he deserved it. I was still going to apologize in the morning before he would leave to Seattle.

I switched into pajamas and went to bathroom to brush my teeth. I had been planning to call Julie right away, but I wanted to complain about Stephan. I couldn't do that with Julie, because I was mad at her. So I decided to call to my favorite brother.

"Vinnie, why are you calling?" Dillon's voice asked surprised.

"Aren't you happy about hearing your sister's voice Dillon?" I laughed.

"Of course I am. But you just are one of those people who need a reason to call." Dillon knew me well.

"Okay, you caught me. I want to complain about Stephan." Dillon laughed audibly.

"So what has he done now?" Dillon had always been my favorite brother. The small difference between our ages made it easier to us to connect. Dillon was so much like me, careless and happy. Stephan was just too serious to my liking.

"Well, he made it quite clear that I shouldn't date." I was nervous about Dillon's position about me dating. He was protective about me too, but he still was more reasonable than Stephan.

"Wow, is my little sister _dating_?" Dillon sounded a bit shocked, but amused.

"Yes Dillon, my dear brother. I was on a date tonight. And I'm planning about going on Wednesday too."

"Well, I can't say that I'm not surprised. So tell me, who is this guy which finally caught your attention?" I sighed deeply; this was the fourth time that I had to explain about Embry. I managed to talk eight whole minutes about Embry and our date.

"It sounds like you like him." Dillon stated after my report about my evening. I was quite for a while. I just had to gather my thoughts before I could answer.

"Yes, I like him. It's just weird you know. I have met Embry twice now, but I feel like I had known him forever. He makes me feel completely comfortable. And he makes me laugh."

"Well sis, I'm happy for you, he sounds like a nice guy. But if he does something to you, I promise that I'll break his neck!" Dillon's voice was playful, but I could hear the serious threat in there also.

"I think that you would break your arms doing that!" I laughed.

"And why is that?"

"Well, you see, Embry is closer to seven feet that six. And his arm is as big as my head."

"You're joking right?"

"No, I'm telling the truth. But Embry's as sweet as a teddy bear, so there's nothing to worry about."

"I hope you're right about that." Dillon murmured.

"I am, as always. But now I have to go, I still have a very angry phone call to make."

"Don't be so hard on Julie and Russell; they're just trying to take care of you."

"Yeah, I know. But I'm still going to make that call."

"Well I have to go shower now, sis. I'll see you at the latest on Thanksgiving."

"Yeah, but call me soon, okay?"

"I promise. Bye, Vinnie!"

"Bye-bye, Dillon!"

I was happy that I'd called Dillon. I haven't seen him since he left for California. And I was pretty sad about the fact that I probably wasn't going to see him before Thanksgiving. He was just so busy with his new college life. I thought about Dillon for a moment. Then I reached for my cell again, and dialed Julie's number.

"Hi, Vinnie!" she sounded much too happy for my liking. She should be regretful about her and Russell's stupid stunt.

"What's up 007?"

"Oh Vinnie, you can't still be mad about it!"

"I definitely am. I know I asked this before, but what the hell were you two thinking?!"

"Well… we just wanted to know if he was as hot as you told us." I couldn't believe her! Had she thought I had lied?

"You can't be serious! You made me look like a fool."

"Don't worry about it Vinnie, he never even looked at us properly."

"What do you mean?" I asked suspiciously.

"He could take his eyes of you, are you blind or what?" I didn't answer her, just smiled.

"So what do you think about him?" I asked after a second.

"Well honestly… he's freaking hot!"

"So you believe me now, no need to check on us on the next time?"

"Oh, you're going out with him again! I'm so happy for you!"

"Are you done now? Because if you remember, I'm still mad at you, and I want to go to bed."

"I bet you're already in bed in your pajamas."

"Yeah, but I want to sleep, and I'm mad at you. So let's finish this conversation please."

"You aren't going to talk to us tomorrow, are you?" Julie didn't sound remorseful. I had failed to incriminate her, again. Julie had much too high self-esteem, for my own good.

"Lucky guess, Julie. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Vinnie."

I was woken up by my alarm clock. I groaned and buried under my blanket. I didn't feel like going to school. I was going to die to boredom while I waited for Wednesday. Well, at least I had my soccer practice today, so I could think something else. Like every school morning, I heard a knock on the door.

"Vinnie, get up now!" It was Mom calling. I sighed and got up.

I went downstairs after my morning routines to get some breakfast. I winced when I saw Stephan sitting in the table with Mom. Dad had already left for work. (He worked in the harbor as some kind of superior.)

"Morning," I growled and sat down nest to Stephan.

"Vinnie, I think I need to apologize to you." Stephan started. I had been planning to apologize from him, but this was way better.

"I mean, I can't tell you what to do, you're practically adult. I was trying to keep you safe from the 'horny teenagers' as you expressed. I'm sorry." Stephan tried to smile a little. Oh, I never was one oh the relentless.

"I forgive you. But I was going to apologize from you too. This is none of your business, but I overreacted a bit, so I'm sorry too."

"No need for that, I was inappropriate. Besides, I think he's a good guy." I nodded, but then it hit me.

"Wait, how do you know? I didn't tell you anything about Embry."

"Well… Dillon called me after your phone call."

"Oh great, thanks a lot, Dillon…" I murmured. I was going to murder him verbally after the soccer practice.

Stephan left for Seattle and I drove to school soon after our accommodation. I parked my car next to Julie's. Julie and Russell were waiting for me next to Julie's car like always. I opened the door and stepped out.

"Hi, Vinnie." They greeted me. I didn't say anything; I was still trying to bee mad at them.

"Silent treatment is on the menu today," Russell joked. Julie laughed and I stick my tongue out. That just made her laugh even harder.

"Want to make a bet?" Julie asked Russell. He nodded eagerly.

"How much?" he asked.

"The one who wins has to pay both of the tickets to the new movie based on Stephen King's novel." Russell agreed and then they shook hands.

"I bet that she will talk at lunch." Russell guessed. Julie shook her head.

"I bet she talks to me in Spanish." Have a little faith in me Julie, I thought.

"That's your first lesson! Vinnie can be silent for three hours, you know." At least Russell is on my side…

"Normally she can, but this time she just can't." Russell and I looked both puzzled. Julie rolled her eyes.

"You think she's not going to compliment Embry's good looks?" I laughed aloud. Julie knew me too well. Russell seemed to regret the bet instantly.

"Shall we go?" Julie asked. I nodded and wondered if I could be silent for the first lesson. I highly doubted it.

Julie waited patiently for me to talk. We were half way through the Spanish when I just couldn't keep quite anymore. I just had too much to say.

"I give up." I said quietly. Everybody else was talking in the room, so the only one who heard my whisper was Julie. She smiled widely and turned to look at me.

"I'm simply the best."

"Please, not another karaoke performance!" I said and laughed at the memory of Julie's latest singing event.

"Tell me everything." Julie demanded. I smiled and began to describe my evening and Embry. I couldn't wait for Wednesday…

**A/N: Here goes the chapter 6! I'm glad that my beta was so fast with this, because the last update took me so long. I personally really enjoyed this chapter, I had fun writing it. I think I'm going to post the Vinnies side of the 5th chapter soon. Again, I hope that you review, it keeps me going. It's so much more fun to write after a few comments :) Thanks to my beta and you readers :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Twilight_, all the characters that you recognize belong to** **_Stephenie Meyer_.**

Chapter 7 (Embry's POV)

Okay, I went spying on Vinnie. No big deal, right? I just wanted to see where the love of my life lives, and I accidentally heard a couple of private conversations. No big deal right? Well apparently my loving pack didn't think so…

Yesterday evening, after hearing Vinnie's conversations, I drove back to La Push. I just couldn't go sleep right after all that had happened that day. It just had been so amazing. Mom was on a night shift, so she wouldn't be missing me. I wanted to go running. So I pulled my truck in front of the house, run off the woods and phased.

My dear friends had apparently been waiting for me. I heard Seth's, Quil's and Jake's voices when I phased.

_How was it? Tell us everything! _Seth rushed me.

_Jeeze, just give me a second, okay? _I cleared my head and then showed everything to them. Quil and Jake were laughing at me, but Seth was quite.

_She's kind of hot,_ Seth thought. Suddenly the laughter stopped.

_What the hell, Seth?_ Quil asked. I was just too stunned to say anything. Was he having a crush on my imprint, a girl he had never seen?

_It's not that Embry. I can say that she's good looking_, _right? _His thoughts betrayed him. I growled at him, ready to attack. If he would have been anywhere near me, I think we would have had a headless Seth. I saw that he wasn't that far, I just might have a chance to bite his head of… I thought and started to run towards him.

_Seth phase back and call Sam. _Jake ordered. Seth obeyed quickly. I was still running. To Seth's luck, Jake was there to keep me in order.

_Stop now, Embry. _I had to do it, there was no option. I was lying on the ground, shaking because of the anger. I growled at Quil when he appeared besides me.

_Take it easy man, it's just me. _I had never felt this kind of anger. I felt it deep inside my bones, in my every cell.

_Let me go!_ I mentally shouted at Jake. I just had to go and rip Seth's limbs of off his body…

_Sorry, man, you just have to stay here until Sam comes and decides what we should do with this. _Quil was mentally laughing.

_If you don't stop that now, I can give you the same treatment that I had been planning for Seth. _The laughter died quickly.

_I'm sorry, but you have to think that this is a little funny._

_Nope, don't see it, _I hissed, my voice full of anger. Sam's voice filled my head after a couple of minutes. He wasn't too happy about me or Seth.

_You can stand up now, Embry. _I stood up. There was no change that I would have gotten away, so I settled in my situation and tried to stay cool. The anger was still in me, but not as strong as before. Jake and Quil were watching me with a combination of sadness and amusement.

_Stop looking me like that._ My friends looked away, but that just didn't help.

_I'm just glad that my imprint is underage and a half-vampire… _Jake thought.

_This is hilarious! I'm happy that this isn't happening for me. Poor Seth, Embry's so going to take him down. That would be interesting to watch… _Quil trailed of.

_Stay calm, Embry, _Sam said; he was getting closer. I took a deep sigh, but that didn't help at all, I was just as angry as before. Seth was so dead…

_Embry, Seth's just a kid, it's just normal that he has a crush on someone. _I growled at Jake. He hadn't been cool at all when Quil and I had met Bella.

_I know, I'm sorry. But this is nothing really Embry. Seth hasn't even met her; he just likes her looks. _

_You're not helping me out Jake! You saw what he was thinking._

_Embry, we can and have to sort this out. _Sam was now standing in front of me_. You go to your house with Quil, get dressed and then drive to my place, all right?_ I just nodded as an agreement and took off running. I could hear Quil's heavy paw steps a couple of feet behind me. He was keeping his thoughts in check by thinking about Claire and their fishing trip earlier today. I was glad.

I had left my pair of shorts in the woods nearby my house. I phased back and put the shorts on.

"I'll get you a pair of shorts, wait here." Wolf-Quil nodded and I run inside. I wanted to face Seth soon. I was very angry with him still, but I started to calm down a bit.

**

I killed the engine when we reached Sam's place. I took a deep breath before hopping out of the car. Quil had been quiet during the drive, but I could see that he was dying to joke about this situation. We walked inside and found the other in the kitchen. The anger filled me again when I saw Seth sitting in the table, eating his muffin. I growled lowly and started shaking. I was about to phase when Sam appeared.

"Calm down, Embry." He ordered and put his hand on my shoulder. I calmed, but I kept my eyes on Seth. He was avoiding my gaze, clearly ashamed. Paul walked into the kitchen, looking confused about our behavior.

"What's going on here, guys? Why's Embry so pissed?"

"Embry is pissed because Seth here has a crush on Embry's imprint."

"Vinnie?" he looked a little confused.

"Yes, Vinnie, who else?" Jake said. Paul burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"Vinnie is just so boyish. Does she even have breasts?" I growled at Paul furiously.

"Do not phase, boys!" Sam ordered, not a second too soon.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Paul, but you haven't seen her in that red blouse that she was wearing today." Quil laughed. I growled again, and they all fell into silence. Sam was the first one to speak.

"Okay guys, everybody needs to calm down now. We have to agree on some rules." Everyone nodded and Sam continued. "The first rule is, do not mock anyone's imprint or girlfriend. I don't want to hear that kind of statements anymore, Paul." Paul looked a little ashamed.

"This second is only about Embry and Seth. You two aren't on patrol together after this. In fact, you two are not to phase at the same time. If Embry is running at the same time with you Seth, you have to phase back immediately. The third is no fighting. Embry, you aren't allowed to attack Seth. You all understand these rules?" Everyone nodded. I just agreed because I had to, there was no choice. That's it then. I can't rip his head off… I thought to myself. Seth stood up, looking shyly at me. He kept wisely his distant.

"Embry I'm really sorry." That wasn't simply enough. I could forgive him after his stupid crush had gone by. I couldn't say him anything, so I just kept glaring him.

"I think I have to go." Seth said good bye and I calmed down a bit, but I was still angry at Paul. Paul saw me glaring him, so he decided to apologize too.

"I'm sorry too man, she's just not my type." I accepted his apology. I didn't think Rachel to be good looking at all, so we were even. The atmosphere was still a little tensed.

"So what has our Romeo been up to?" Paul asked and punched me playfully on my arm.

"Well, our Romeo is Teddy Bear nowadays, and he's been playing a spy. And he_ hugged_ a girl. Isn't that amazing?" Quil said and took of running before I realize that he was mocking me.

"Come back here you bastard!" I shouted after him, but he was long gone. Jake, Sam and Paul were laughing their asses off. Emily stepped into the kitchen for my luck. Nobody had the courage to mock someone in front of Emily.

"What's happening, guys?" She asked, looking angry me and my amused brothers. Sam hugged Emily tightly and cleared his throat.

"We can talk about that some other time."

"Oh, I almost forgotten you were on a date Embry! So how was it?" Emily was always interested in our business, and it was nice. I just didn't want to talk to her in front of my mocking brothers.

"It went well." I answered quietly.

"Well? Are your brothers teasing you?"

"Of course not! We were just happy that Embry got to hold her in his arms." Jake said and quickly took off.

"I'm leaving now, I need some time alone." I murmured. Emily grabbed my arm before I could leave. She looked deeply in my eyes.

"You can talk to every time you want." I nodded. "Come here tomorrow, I want to know how your date was."

"Thanks, Emily." I said with a smile and walked out the door, leaving Sam and Emily alone.

I had promised to Emily, so I pulled my car down in front of their house on Tuesday after school. I could hear that Emily was the only person inside and I was pretty glad about it. I didn't want my brothers to hear this conversation. Emily had always been like a sister to me, and I knew she would be able to help me.

Emily was in the kitchen, baking as always. She hadn't apparently heard my entrance.

"Knock, knock." I said, standing at the doorway. Emily screamed and jumped. She turned to look at me. I smirked and tried not to laugh.

"Never do that again Embry!" She shouted. I just laughed. I think I heard her murmuring something about "sneaky werewolves". Emily got over her scare and offered me a sandwich. I thanked and sat down. Emily sat opposite to me, watching me closely.

"How are you, Embry?" I took a bite from the sandwich and thought about my answer.

"Well, I'm extremely happy. Except for this Seth thing. And I'm a bit confused, Emily. What should I do with her? When is a good time to tell her what I am? I'm scared that she's going to run away screaming."

"I'm really happy for you, Embry. And I hope that you aren't too hard on Seth. You can make up."

"Making up would happen after he doesn't have a crush on my imprint." I murmured. Emily pretended that she hadn't heard my comment and went on.

"Don't worry. She's not going to run off. She loves you, even if she may not that yet. She will always be there for you, you should know that. Kim, Rachel, or I could never abandon our mates." Emily's reassuring words were reliving. Still, I wasn't sure yet how Vinnie felt, so I was going to be careful around her.

"How about my secret? I could tell, even on Sunday, that she knew I was hiding something. I didn't want to lie to her, but I don't want to scare her either."

"I think you don't have to keep your secret long. She will understand when you tell, I'm sure about that. Hiding something from her will her make a thousand times more terrified."

"I have to think about this. Thanks, Emily, it's so easy to talk to you." I finished my sandwich and stood up.

"You're meant for each other, remember that, Embry."

"Thanks, Emily." I said and left.

The Seth-has-a-crush-on-my-imprint-thing did bother me, but my anticipation made me forget all about it for a while. I just couldn't think, well I could, but my thoughts were all about Vinnie. Vinnie had become the center of my life the second that I saw her. But now I could see the effects. I didn't care about some things I had before she entered my life. Vinnie was my everything.

Finally it was Wednesday! I woke up early, but still I managed to be late from school. I just had stopped dreaming about her too much.

I had history first and I was pretty glad about it. Mrs. Harley was my Mom's friends, she never minded much about me being late. Paul was sitting already in his seat, smirking at me. I apologized from Mrs. Harley and took my seat next to Paul.

"Look at you. You're glowing!" Paul laughed I didn't mind him, just took my books and started to take notes. Paul was disappointed on my lack of reaction, so he tried differently.

"Hot date coming up?" I just sighed. Paul gave up and let me be. Just a couple more hours, then I would see Vinnie; I tried to tell myself. But maybe I could see her sooner…

I skipped my last two classes. English and Math _so_ aren't more important than Vinnie. I would be in Port Angeles before Vinnie would be out of school. I was going to surprise her. She wasn't waiting for me just yet. I just had to hope that Vinnie would like to see me next to her red Toyota in her school's parking lot.

**A/N: Personally I just loved writing this chapter. I don't know if you find it funny or not. So please tell me what you thought of this chapter! Thanks to my beta and all the readers :) Please review! **

**matthias4ever**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Twilight_, all the characters that you recognize belong to _Stephenie Meyer_. **

Chapter 8 (Vinnie's POV)

I gathered my stuff quickly. I wasn't sure how long it would take Embry to drive here. Julie was watching me; I could see her eyeing me from the corner of her eye.  
"What?" I asked her. She smiled genuinely.  
"I'm just happy for you." It was just a simple statement, but it made me very happy.

When we were approaching the parking lot, we could hear people whispering. Girls seemed to be thrilled and guys didn't look too happy. I frowned, what was with them today? When we reached the parking lot, I could see what everyone was talking about.

There he was, leaning against my car. He was even better looking than I remembered. His dark hair, eyes, and skin were just perfect. I couldn't believe that _I_, of all the people, was going on a date with him. He seemed just too perfect to be true. Apparently I had started to stare at him, because Julie had to pull me of the drive way. When Embry finally saw me coming, a wide smile appeared on his face. I must've looked very stupid and maybe even a little bit pathetic. I liked this guy too much.

When I was fifty feet away from him, he started walking towards me. I could see the excitement in his eyes. Had he waited for this as much as I had? Embry's long legs brought him quickly to me. He stopped when he was just a foot away. A strange urge overwhelmed me. I just wanted to close the space between us and pull his body close to mine. Embry looked in my eyes for a long time. His deep brown eyes where full of something I didn't recognize. His gaze took my breath away. How could I be so lucky?

I don't know how long I just watched him. It could have been hours or just seconds. Without warning Embry reached for my hand. His large palm was just as hot as it had been a couple days ago. That seemed to be ages ago. Embry finally broke the spell.

"Hi, Vinnie," he whispered with his husky voice.

"Hey, Embry. What are you doing here?" I was just saying that so I wouldn't be left speechless. The real question that I wanted to ask was: _Why didn't I get to see you sooner?_

"I imagined that we had a date." he was still smiling, but the unsure look appeared on his face. I just couldn't think of one reason why he would feel unsure.

"Well, yes, we do, but I thought you were coming after school. I don't want you to get in trouble from skipping because of me."

"It's not a big deal, Vinnie. I would have skipped the whole day if you'd asked." I couldn't doubt his words, his voice and body language told me that he was telling the truth.

"I'm glad that I didn't ask," I said and we both burst into laughter. Someone cleared her throat next to us. Julie was looking at me with a knowing smirk on her face. I had completely forgotten all about her.

"Vinnie, I have to go now, if you don't mind. I'll leave you two alone. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"See you!" Julie looked at us, smiled, and left.

"Are you hungry?" Embry asked, sounding concerned.

"Don't even ask! I'm hungry as a wolf," I stated and Embry laughed hysterically.

"What did I say?" Embry coughed and quieted his laughter.

"No, it's nothing. I'm hungry too. Where would you like to go?" Embry was always asking my opinion. He was so sweet.

"How about McDonald's?" My secret vice was junk food. I hoped that Embry wouldn't be some health fanatic.

"No problem. A Big Mac is calling me already."

Apparently there were three Big Macs calling Embry. And some fries and a milkshake, of course. Embry was a big guy, but it was amazing how much stuff he could stuff down his throat. I had managed to pay for my food, but Embry had pouted a lot about that. He was just too perfect to exist. At least he was perfect to me. The girl behind the counter hadn't really liked Embry's joke about French fries. I had found it hilarious.

"Did you miss me while you couldn't see me?" I joked and looked up excepting to see Embry smirking at me. I surprised when I saw that his face was serious. There was no trace of a smile on his face.

"I did. Three days was just too long…" I understood completely. I had felt exactly the same; maybe I wasn't crazy after all! Maybe it was normal to feel this kind of thing, even if you had known the guy just for a couple of days.

"Did you miss me?" Embry suddenly shot back. His eyes looked deeply in mine, encouraging me to tell him how I felt.

"I did, too. But it's strange, isn't it? We just met on Friday." The serious look had disappeared on his face, and the warm smile had replaced it. He took my hand in his and squeezed it lightly.

"It's not strange, Vinnie, not in our case." Here it was again, his secret. I could feel that he wanted to share it with me.

"What do you mean? What's so special about us?" I wanted some answers. I wanted to know if there was a reason why I felt this strongly about him after so short a period of time. Embry sighed deeply and stroked the back of my hand with his thumb.

"It's difficult, Vinnie. I'll explain it to you soon, I promise." I didn't ask about it anymore, I trusted that Embry would tell me when he was ready.

"We have talked awfully lot about me. I would love to know more about you." I looked up at Embry when we left McDonalds. My hand felt empty without Embry's large palm. Every cell in my body was screaming Embry to touch me. The wind blow from west was cold making me shiver.

"Are you cold?" Embry asked.

"Yeah, a little bit. Just wasn't prepared for the cold, stupid me." Embry didn't hesitate, just pulled me close to his warm body, and wrapped his arms around my waist. My heart skipped a couple of beats. Embry's closeness made me feel little dizzy, but I felt instantly warmer.

"Feeling any warmer?"

"Yep, thank you." I smiled little shyly at him. He was the first guy that had been this close to me, if you didn't count my father, brothers, and Russell.

"Anytime, Vinnie, anytime," he said with a little smile, which told me that he meant it.

"Hey! You're trying to distract me! We were supposed to talk more about you."

"You caught me," he said with a laugh. "What would you like to know?"

"Hmm… Would you tell me about your friends? It's only fair because you know all about my crazy friends." I wanted desperately know more about Embry.

"I have two best friends, Jacob and Quil." I had to laugh.

"You're not the only one with a funny name, then."

"Please don't mock him for that. The name runs in his family. He's pretty sensitive about that." I was surprised about Embry's reply. Was he going to take me to La Push? I really did want to meet his family and friends.

"Am I going to meet them soon?"

"Only if you want to," he murmured and looked at the ground. Was he thinking that I would say no?

"I would love to. So when are you taking me?" I was starting to get more excited. I'd never been in La Push. My aunt and my cousin lived in Forks. Kayla, my cousin had told me that she'd been in some kind of beach party in La Push about a year ago. I hadn't seen her for a while.

"This weekend?" Embry asked, looking much happier that a minute ago. My answer had made a huge difference on his mood. I couldn't help but smile.

"This weekend sound great. Could you pick me up from Forks on Saturday?"

"What are you doing in Forks on Saturday?"

"I thought that it would be a great time to meet my cousin. You know Kayla Winston?"

"The name sounds familiar, but I can't remember where I've heard it."

"So, we have a date?" I asked, trying to hide my happiness. I was thrilled, if I was being honest. I wanted to see where Embry lived. Plus, I was betting that he had cool friends. Embry was so fun and great guy, he couldn't have boring friends.

"We have a date," Embry confirmed. I peeked at him form the corner of my eye. I was pleased to see a wide smile on his face, too.

"Your eyes are beautiful." Embry said when we were sitting on his car in the school parking lot. Time had flown. Every minute with him had been amazing. I had laughed at his jokes, made a little fun of him and most of all, stared him a lot. I just couldn't get enough of him. My eyes had been clued to him all night long. Time wasn't on our side. It was almost eight a clock already and it was time for me to go home. My curfew on weekdays was strict. Dad had told me that there was no reason for a young lady to be out later than eight. My Dad was kind of old fashioned, but I loved him still. Embry on the other hand had no curfews at all and I was little jealous about that.

"Don't you have to go?" I had asked Embry half an hour before my curfew.

"No, Mom doesn't really mind. And she doesn't know, she's working night shift today."

"Oh, what does she do?" Embry's Mom seemed nice. I wanted to meet her, but I was terrified. And I wasn't really sure if Embry was going to take me meet her anyway. I still wasn't his girlfriend, so maybe he didn't want to introduce me to his mother. I secretly hoped that I was Embry's girlfriend. I know it was really early; this was, after all, our second date. But I did feel awfully strong about him. I was very confused when I thought about it, but when I was with Embry, it just felt right. We hadn't done anything beside holding hands and hugging. My body was still screaming for more. I wanted to kiss him, but I didn't have the courage to do it. My lack of experience stopped me; I had never kissed a guy. And I feared that he would push me away. I think I couldn't handle that.

"She's a nurse. She works in the emergency room in Forks hospital." Embry answered to my earlier question.

"That's nice. I wanted to be one when I was a kid. I stopped dreaming about that when I realized that I wouldn't be much of a nurse." I said with a laugh.

"Why is that?"

"Well, I have quite of temper. I would end up hurting them more than helping them," I admitted. Embry laughed kindly.

"Maybe you should think of some other profession then."

"I have been thinking. I would love to have a job where I can be outdoors. I have considered that I could be gym teacher, or a soccer couch."

"Well that sounds more like you." Embry had said and smiled.

"I should go now," I said returning back to the present. I couldn't make myself move. The car had Embry's scent all over it and I just wanted to stay there.

"You really should. I don't want your parents to be angry." I couldn't move, I wanted something but I wasn't brave enough to take it. I sighed and opened my seat belt. I would make myself look like an idiot if I was going to just sit there.

"I guess I'll see you on Saturday, then." I was going to open the door, but Embry took my hand in his. I looked at him, confused.

"I just wanted to give you something." He said with a husky voice. He looked into my eyes. He was making me breathless. He leaned closer to me, stopping just an inch away form my face. The kiss was quick, just a small peck on my lips. But still it was everything I had dreamed all night. His lips were soft. They tasted the same as the car smelled. It was a taste that reminded me of the woods, it was fresh and musky. Too soon it was over. Embry was looking at me, mesmerizing my reaction. I smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Drive safely," he said and opened the door for me.

"You, too. Good night." I said and hopped out of the car.

"Sweet dreams." I sure was going to see a lot of sweet dreams about him.

Mom was in the kitchen drinking warm milk. That was one of her strange habits. I couldn't understand it, warm milk tasted horrible. Actually milk, be it cold or warm, tasted disgusting. I had stopped drinking it when I was around eight years old. I thought that milk was for babies and refused to drink it. So then Mom made me eat calcium tablets. Mom smiled at me knowingly. She had been very happy about me seeing Embry. She told me that she had waited me to start dating for three years all ready.

"Hi, Mom. Where's Dad?" I was expecting Dad to be with her. He didn't share Mom's odd milk habit, but he always kept her company.

"Hello, Vinnie. Your Dad went to watch the news already." I knew that my father was old-fashioned, but couldn't he just accept that I was an adult?

"He's still not too fond of me dating?" Mom smiled apologetically.

"You know he can't stand his baby girl growing up."

"Mom, I never was his baby girl, I was always one of the boys, and you know that."

"Yes, I know. But maybe that's why he's taking it so hardly, he never expected you to have a boyfriend. You were never interested in things that other girls in your age enjoyed."

"Technically, I don't have a boyfriend, we're just going out with each other." Not that I wouldn't hope him to be more…

"What ever you say, darling. I'm going to watch the news with your father now. Good night," she said, kissed my forehead and started climbing the stairs up to my parents' room.

After eating and showering, I went to my room. I was going to check that I had done my math homework properly. It was around 9.30, when my cell phone vibrated in the pocket of my jeans that I had thrown on the floor earlier. I took one look at the caller ID and smiled.

"Why are you calling this time at night?" I joked, pretending to be angry.

"Sorry, is it a bad time?" He asked remorsefully. I laughed at him. He took everything I said too seriously.

"No, you silly, I was just fixing my Math homework. But I am curious to know, why are you calling?" I was so happy for him calling, but I couldn't figure out a reason. Like Dillon had said, I was one of the people who needed a reason to call.

"No reason, really. It's just nice talking to you and I'm dead bored." I had a hunch that he wasn't telling the exact truth, but I didn't mind.

"So you're not canceling our date?"

"Of course not! Why would I ever do that?" He sounded so astonished that I had to work hard not to laugh.

"I was wondering if I was too weird for you. Many guys don't like me, you know."

"If you think you're weird, you haven't seen anything… And I can't think of a reason why any male wouldn't be attracted to you, Vinnie. You're just perfect." That description worked better for Embry than me, but I didn't argue. He was the perfect one. I suddenly began to miss his touch, his feverish skin and his soft lips. Vinnie, focus! I ordered myself.

"Can you tell me, Embry, what do you usually do when you're dead bored?" I heard him laughing quietly. Ah… what a beautiful voice. I was totally having a serious obsession.

"Well, I lied to you about that. I called you because I wanted to hear your voice." I can't believe this guy. Usually I hate this kind of romantic and corny stuff, but when he says it, my knees feel week. I'm starting to soften up.

"That's nice to hear. You saved me a call, thanks."

"You like hearing my voice, then?" Of course I do! I could listen it all night long…

"Why wouldn't I? You're voice makes me sleepy, and I'm so tired …" I was just joking, his voice didn't make me sleepy and I wasn't tired. He was just being too worried again. I had known him less that a week and he still had been more worried about me that Julie and Russell together!

"Should you go to bed, then?"

"I'm in bed, if you're asking that. But I'm not sleepy, so I should be able to hear you're lovely voice just a little bit longer." This made Embry laugh and made me very happy, because he laughed.

"But back to you, Mr. Lovely Voice, you never answered to my question. What do you do when you're dead bored?"

"Well, I love to run and fix cars. And when it's warm enough, we love to go cliff diving."

"Cliff diving; that sounds cool. Can you take me sometime?"

"Let's think about that when it's not fall, okay?"

"Okay. We should go running together, though." That would be interesting. I was betting he wasn't as fast as he looked like. I desperately wanted to beat him.

"If you can keep my pace," He laughed. Oh, we'll see about that…

"Can I ask you a question Vinnie?"

"Sure, what's on your mind?"

"What do you think of me?" He asked. I was surprised by his question. Did he want the honest answer? He would freak out if I told him that I was totally obsessed about him after two dates.

"I think that you're a great guy. You make me laugh and forget everything else. A world with you just feels a lot simpler. And it sounds like you care about me. What else can I say, you're just great." I had edited a bit, but that was exactly how I thought about him.

"You know I'm going to tell you soon."

"Tell me about what?" I was confused; I didn't understand what he was going to tell me.

"The secret, the one thing I've been keeping from you. I don't know if this is too early, you don't know me that well just yet. But I hate keeping a secret, especially from you." Embry's secret had bothered me a while. It was just killing me that I couldn't figure it out. It sounded like it had something to do with me and his sudden appearance in my life. I just hoped that his secret would explain this weird connection between us. I wasn't complaining, though.

After Embry's serious question our chat went back to normal. We joked and laughed a lot. Talking with Embry was even easier that talking to Julie. It felt like I could share everything with him. I caught myself telling him how much I loved the rocks that the ocean had cut to feel so smooth. And I shared my secret desire with him, that I wanted to go to Africa. To visit in the village that my fathers' family had been brought from in the 17th century. With Embry, even when I could just talk to him over the phone, I felt good. If there just had been more hours in a day…

"Vinnie! It's ten thirty on a school night. Time to go to bed," Dad yelled through my door, knocking loudly. I sighed; my time with Embry was up.

"Okay, Dad, I'll just say good bye and hang up then." I waited a while to hear Dad's footsteps to draw away.

"You have to go now. I'm sorry for keeping you up."

"Don't be. I'd like to be up even later, but my tyrant father doesn't approve."

"Good night, then, once again."

"Yeah, good night. I'll see you on Saturday." It was going to be such a long two days.

"Two days is just too long," Embry whined. I had to laugh; he had said my thoughts aloud.

"I know, but I have to go to school and work."

"Yeah, I'll see you on Saturday, then."

"Sweet dreams, Embry."

"Good night, Vinnie," he said and I hung up. I _so_ wasn't going to sleep.

**A/N: I'm sooo sorry this update took me so long. My beta has been so busy with school. She had to stop beta-ing, so please tell me if you know someone who would like to be my beta. I really need one.  
So, this was the 8th chapter, what did you think? I have already written 12 chapter, but I seriously need that beta! Please review! :)**

**matthias4ever**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, it's all Stephenie Meyers :)**

**A/N: Thanks for all who reviewed! To _Superdani_: Don't worry, Kayla's not another Leah. The name was familiar just because Kayla had had a bit _too _fun at the beach party :)And you thought that the light kiss was something... :D And sorry, but I don't have the last chapter from Embry's POV. I just hate re-writing the same chapters. But I hope that you like this one. Thank you _jazminadra _your reviwes make me happy everytime, despite the fact that I tell you to review :) Thanks to _SweetnSpoiledx93 _too, it's so nice to hear you like this. By the way, this is my longest chapter so far! I think they are getting longer everytime I write a new one :)**

Chapter 9 (Embry's POV)

After my long phone call with Vinnie, I decided that I had to see her before Saturday. I just couldn't go two whole days without her. That meant that I couldn't hear her beautiful yet sarcastic voice. I couldn't hear her laughing and teasing me. She was just such a happy person, and I loved her. I already missed her tiny hands and the scent of her hair and skin. Everything about her made me smile, I just missed her. When I arrived home from Port Angeles, the house was empty like I'd expected. I didn't think, I just picked up the phone and dialed her number. After an hour apart, I was feeling empty. The phone just wasn't good enough. Not seeing her reaction to my words was unbearable. The fact that I couldn't see her eyes and read her emotions in them was just torture. My mind, soul and body were missing her equally. Her voice did calm me down, but it wasn't good enough, not even close. I wondered how I had lived without her before this. I needed her and I really hoped that she needed me. I would take care of her, whatever happened. Still, I wasn't sure how I should tell her. Lying to her was impossible, I couldn't deny her anything. She had known from the very beginning that I wasn't telling her the whole truth. I had no idea how she could tell that, but I assume it's was because we belong together. When I met her, I had made myself prepare for many long and difficult discussions before she would open up to me. I had been very surprised but also happy, that it simply wasn't needed. She felt so at ease with me, I could see that. She shared everything, and she didn't edit. It made me feel special, that I was good enough to hear her thoughts. Maybe, just maybe I was good enough for her. Emily and the guys had already tried to reassure me that she felt like I did. I couldn't be so sure, so I had to ask. Asking her made me feel vulnerable, but it was worth it. She didn't confess her love to me, but I couldn't expect that yet. I had known at first sight that I loved her and I still hadn't told her yet. And I wasn't planning on telling her anytime soon. I knew I would tell her about werewolves in the near future, but I wasn't going to give her too much info all at once. I still had to work on my plan; soon there would be no excuse not to tell her. Besides, I had promised to tell her soon, I wasn't going to break that promise. Fighting with vampires would be more pleasant than letting her down. Well that wasn't a great comparison, I did enjoy hunting those filthy blood-suckers down. It was a shame that there hadn't been any vamps on our land in a long time. But now that I had Vinnie, I was just happy that she was completely safe. Nobody could ever hurt her, not even me.

"Are you going to bring her to see us?" Quil asked for the thousandth time. He had been whining about it since I had met Vinnie. This was the first time today, since it was only eight o'clock in the morning. We were sitting in the back of our History class. Paul sat next to me, and Quil and Jake were sitting right in front of us. Quil had turned around so he could look at me with his pleading puppy-eyes. It never worked, but it was funny to see. Every day previous to this one, I had mumbled some excuse about how I hadn't had time to ask her. Today, I was happy to give him a pleasant answer.

"Well, she promised to come here to see me, but I don't know if I want her to spend time with you guys."

"What?! You have to Embry; we want to meet our sister!" Quil demanded. Jake and Paul looked up too.

"Why wont you let us hang out with her? She seems so nice." Jake asked. He seemed to take my joke seriously.

"Chill out guys, I'm just joking! Of course I want you to meet her. She's been asking about you and I can't deny her anything, you know that."

"So, when is she coming?" Quil asked, happy again. He had become very attached to Vinnie. I had no idea why that was. Maybe he felt like he had been given a new sister. When I thought about it, I could see the similarities between Quil and Vinnie. They had the same sense of humor, they were excited when they heard new things and they liked to mock me.

"She's coming on Saturday around two o'clock."

"Great! We'll all be there." Quil promised. I bet he had already started to plan how he would scare the heck out of her.

"Guys, I know you want to see her, but remember that I haven't told her yet what we are. Be careful."

"You should tell her already." Jake said. I knew he had a point, but I still wasn't sure. I should figure that out soon.

"I know, and I will. But I don't how to do it." Somehow my comment made Paul laugh.

"You know, I just blurted it out to Rachel a couple of hours after we met." I smiled at Paul's memory.

"We know, but Rachel already knew the stories, it was easier with her. Vinnie has never even heard the stories, and she'll probably think that I'm high or something, when I try to tell her."

"She'll believe you, just tell her. I can't wait to have her in our family." Quil was right; I had to tell her as soon as possible.

"Are you going to see her today?" Jake asked me after awhile. I groaned. I didn't need a reminder that I couldn't see her for two days. How was I ever going to make it that long without her? Forty-eight hours was just too long.

"No. She's working after school today and tomorrow. I can't take two whole days without her."

"I totally know what you mean. I just can't keep my hands off of Rachel." Paul stated and Jake glared at him. Paul apologized as Jacob turned to look at me again.

"She works at the cinema, right?" Paul questioned. I nodded, not seeing his point.

"You could visit her there; you would look like nothing more than a customer." A wide smile spread across my face. I could see the love of my life after all. I was happy and relieved.

"Thanks Paul!" I said and almost hugged him.

"No need to thank me Embry. I just can't watch you mopping." He smirked. I didn't care, I was just so high. Vinnie was like a drug to me, but in a good way. I was hooked, but I didn't mind and my health didn't suffer. I thought about skipping again, but I didn't want to make Vinnie feel bad. She obviously didn't like me skipping. The day was going to be hard, but I could make it. I still had my reward after this; I could see Vinnie. That was everything I needed.

The whole day in school was pure torture. The idea of seeing Vinnie in a couple of hours got me through it. The second that the bell rang, I took off. A faint "good luck" followed me, as I ran down the hallway. I was frustrated, that I couldn't drive any faster. I cursed that I had chosen to drive my car. By running I would already be there. But I had promised myself, that I wouldn't phase near Vinnie before I had told her. I didn't want any accidents. Not that I would ever hurt her.

I had worked on my plan during the day at school, but now when I was just a mile away from Vinnie my plan had formed.

I parked my car a couple of blocks away from the cinema, there just weren't any parking spots closer. It was time to start my plan, "Surprise Vinnie". I know that the name of my plan sucked, and my plan wasn't very good, but it had to be good enough for now. I picked up my cell phone and dialed the number I needed. The phone rang three times before she picked up.

"Hello Embry." My favorite voice in the world said.

"Hello beautiful. What are you doing?" I asked as I was walking at an even pace towards the cinema.

"I'm at work, as you know." I let out a small laugh. She was just so self-assured. She knew perfectly well that I knew her schedule.

"You aren't busy with your customers then?" It was Vinnie's turn to laugh.

"No. I don't think that anybody is brave enough to order anything." I could imagine. I remembered how she had looked the day we'd met. She looked unfriendly, but I didn't care. Vinnie just wasn't made for customer service.

"So what are you doing then, besides scaring the poor customers away?"

"I'm listening to my iPod, and eavesdropping on people's conversations. And of course, I'm bored to death. I'm glad you called."

"I'm glad too." But I was going to be even gladder soon. "So, have you heard anything interesting?"

"I heard this one girl complaining about how jealous she was of her boyfriend."

"Why was she jealous?"

"I think it was because he didn't have to eat bananas." I was puzzled.

"Okay, that's odd. What sort of bananas was she talking about?"

"I have no idea. And it may be better that we are never going to find out." Vinnie laughed. I hadn't even noticed, but I was already in front of the cinema. I looked trough the windows, and there she was, leaning against the counter. There was a wide smile on her beautiful face. I wanted to run to her, but I stayed in place.

"I think you should serve your customers." I stated. I could see her knitting her black brows.

"I don't have any customers. We can keep talking. I hate that my Dad interrupted our call yesterday."

"I think you will have a customer to serve very soon." I said as I opened the door, my eyes never leaving her.

"What are you talking Embry? There's no one here. Well, there is an old couple, but I think that they are too stingy to buy anything." I knew my steps were too quiet for her to hear, so I kept walking towards her. She was watching the old couple that she had mentioned, but they were on the other side of the hall. She didn't see me. I walked silently to the counter. It was hard to keep myself from laughing.

This is where we met; tomorrow it was going to be just a week. One short week, and still she was acting so openly. Just a week and I was going to reveal my secret to her. A secret I had never revealed to anyone before. We were moving fast, faster that any human couple I knew. I couldn't even call her my girlfriend yet, but still I had this feeling, that we knew each other. I could tell that Vinnie had felt it too. She never questioned my words or actions; she just kept waiting for me to tell her my secret. I was lucky to have imprinted on her. She was just so relaxed, like she had known me all along. It was just amazing, but scary too. I still didn't know exactly what she felt; I hadn't even kissed her yet. All I could do was hope that she wouldn't run away the day that I told her my secret. I already knew that we belonged to one another, but Vinnie might not agree with that.

"Excuse me, miss. Am I going to get any service today?" I questioned Vinnie, standing by the counter. She jumped a little and I could hear her heart racing. She slowly turned around to look at me. She was trying to look angry at me, but she just couldn't manage it. I could see the smile underneath.

"I'm sorry, sir. What can I do for you?" She asked, trying to play along.

"I would so much like to take you out, but I know it's not possible."

"I would love to go, but as you can see, I'm stuck here." I smiled at her and reached for her hand. I had missed the feeling of her soft, silky skin. This was the first time I had seen her wearing her long hair in a ponytail. It made her face look even more beautiful.

"I know. I wouldn't have came here, but I just couldn't go two days without you." I said honestly.

"Embry, you're too corny for your own good! If you were any other guy, I would have punched you in the face." I had to laugh at her. She wasn't like the girls I used to date. They had loved it when I had said things like that, but Vinnie was different. She just made fun of me, and I loved it.

"Be honest, Vinnie. Do you really hate when someone says things like that to you?"

"I do! It belongs in movies. I've seen too many movies like that. But I love them."

"You love romantic movies?" I was baffled. I never figured Vinnie to be a chick flick girl.

"Yeah, Dirty Dancing is my favorite." She confessed. I laughed; she had so many surprising qualities in her.

"Are you going to serve him? Or can you get us our popcorn?" An angry male voice asked behind me.

"Maybe I will serve him, you never know. But I'll get your popcorn now." She said and winked at me as I moved aside that she could serve the customers.

I had too little time with Vinnie. Before I noticed, it was eight o'clock and her shift was over. The cinema wasn't that busy on Thursdays, and Vinnie and I had had a lot time to talk. Every time I talked with her, I learned something new. Vinnie looked good in her orange apron. When I told her that, she just rolled her eyes and accused me of lying. I think I overreacted a little. I could never lie to Vinnie, everyone in the pack knew it, but apparently Vinnie knew it too. After I had totally freaked out and tried to assure Vinnie hysterically, she just laughed.

"Why are you laughing?" I had asked confused. She had totally lost me. Vinnie was smiling widely at me, so widely that I could see her pretty white teeth. Her left incisor was different color that the others. I had to ask what had happened to her teeth, but first, I wanted the answer to my question.

"Because, Embry, I can see from your face that you're not lying. When you lie, or don't want to tell me one of your secrets, you always look down at your hands. You just can't lie to me when you're looking into my eyes." I watched her smiling a little. I had never noticed myself doing that, but now that I thought about it, she was absolutely right. I could not lie to her when I was looking into her deep gray eyes. I was still surprised, that this girl was so sharp-eyed. She must've been very alert to my actions if she had picked that habit up. And like always, realizing the fact that Vinnie liked me, made me smile like a crazy person. I just watched Vinnie smiling at me.

"Hey, what happened to your tooth?" I asked finally when I managed to tear my gaze from her. The second that Vinnie heard my question, she stopped smiling. What did I do?

"I've always hated that tooth…" She murmured and covered her mouth with her hand. I reached for her hand and removed it from her mouth. I kept the hand in mine, never wanting to let it go.

"Your smile is beautiful. Everything about you is perfect." I said, hoping that I could get her to smile again. She lifted her eyebrows, but smiled widely.

"You know that I'm not comfortable with those lines."

"I know, but they'll all true." I said and looked into her eyes with an expression that would have scared most girls away. I knew that my eyes were full of love and adoration, but I didn't care if Vinnie could see it in my eyes. I was just hoping that I could tell her just how much I loved her. But it wasn't the right time, and I knew it. I would just have to wait.

"Okay, enough with that Vinnie-is-perfect crap. Do you want to know the story of my ugly tooth?"

"It's not ugly, but yes." Vinnie rolled her eyes once again, but started to tell the story behind the tooth.

"So I was visiting my cousins in Virginia. We did that every summer before I turned twelve. We used to spend the whole summer there, but after that year we've never spent more than three weeks in a row in there. My whole family on my father's side live there, all of my cousins, aunts, uncles and people that are related to me some how. There are so many people that I don't even know them all. My father has always been very family orientated and I still wonder why we never have longer visits… Yeah anyway, this tooth thing happened when I was fourteen. My cousin Liam, who was fifteen at the time, challenged me to a dare-game. Of course I had to agree; otherwise I would have had to hear him call me a coward every time I saw him. I agreed only if I could assign the first dare for him. I decided that I would be fun to see Liam eating dirt. It was really funny; I've never laughed so much in my entire life. Then it was Liam's turn to give me a dare. It didn't sound that bad but... He dared me to walk on a fence and then jump to the roof of their house. The distance was about ten feet, but I was pretty sure I could make it. I never got to the jumping part. When I was walking on the fence, I tripped and of course hit my face on a rock on the ground…" I was trying hard not to laugh; I knew that it would hurt her feelings. I looked in Vinnie's eyes because her face always calmed me down. Vinnie smiled at me so that I could see her teeth. I gave her reassuring smile and squeezed her hand a little. I had been holding it during her story. She squeezed mine too, not minding the temperature of it.

"Embry, my shift is over and I want to go home now. It's been a long day." Vinnie said to me, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked at her and I saw that she really looked a little tired. It had been a long day for me too, but Vinnie was too interesting. I wanted to know more about her and see more of her. I didn't want to let her go, but she needed sleep. Her sleep was more important that my desire to keep her close to me.

"I'll walk to your car with you." I promised taking her hand.

"You don't have to." She said and removed the hair tie and let her silky black hair free.

"I know I don't have to, but I want to."

"Let's walk then." She said and gripped my hand. I would never get used to the feelings that touching her made me feel. But I also never wanted to get used to it.

Vinnie had managed to get a space very near the theater. I was disappointed that I had so little time to talk to her.

"Guess I have to get going. Dad will freak out if I'm home later that eight thirty." She laughed, but didn't look happy. Maybe she didn't want to be away from me either.

"Wait a second Vinnie. There's something I forgot to do." I almost punched myself in the face for saying that. She may not like it; I tried to tell myself. It's too early. But I had to do it; her lips were definitely calling me. She was too appealing for her own good. Vinnie didn't look her best in the dim light of the street lamps, but yet she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Vinnie didn't ask me what I had forgotten to do, she knew. But her face wasn't scared or angry; it was just hopeful and expecting. Her mouth was open a little. Like this was the signal, I bent over her, taking her pretty face between my hands. There was an eager look in her face now, and that was it. I came slowly closer to her flawless brown skinned face. She inhaled my scent before our lips touched. She closed her eyes and lifted her small hands into my hair. I closed the space between us and pressed my lips gently to hers. She tasted so good; it was like I had entered into my own private paradise. There was the flavor of chocolate and orange. Under that there was some other flavor, that I didn't recognized.

Her lips were so soft, moving more aggressively under mine. I felt the tip of her tongue touching my lower lip, wanting me to open my mouth. I did what she wanted and let her tongue touch mine. She was pulling my hair, I could feel that. For any other guy than me that would have been painful. I only enjoyed that. I removed my hands from her face and wrapped them around her waist. I didn't want her to stand on her toes, so I lifted her up. She wrapped her legs automatically around my waist. As much as I enjoyed feeling her lips against mine and her body wrapped around me, I knew I had to pull away. I could tell from her behavior, that she was not going to stop anytime soon. I would have loved to continue our kiss, but I knew that her father would have not been happy if she were to come home late. So I pulled away. It was probably the hardest thing that I had ever done, but I succeed. Well, without my supernatural powers, I may not have bee able to break her grip. She moaned as a protest when our lips parted. Vinnie opened her eyes slowly and I waited. I was still holding her in my arms, not wanting to let go.

"You shouldn't have stopped." She whispered in a low voice. I had to bite my lip so that I didn't kiss her again. She was just too appealing.

"I hate to stop, but I don't want your father to be angry with you." I breathed, trying to control my voice.

"We'll pick back up where we left off when we see each other on Saturday." I nodded as an agreement. I couldn't deny her that. I had enjoyed it far too much. I sighed and let Vinnie down carefully. I still kept my hands on her waist. I needed to be close to her.

"I'll see on Saturday then." Vinnie said and kissed my jaw gently. It was clearly a good bye, so I dropped my hands.

"I can't wait to see you."

"I'll call you tomorrow, promise." She said and opened the door of her car.

"I'll be waiting for your call all day." I said truthfully at her. That call would be the highlight of my day.

**another A/N: So what did you think?! I so want to know, so be so kind and review! Thanks to my awesome new beta! This chaper is so much better because of you, so thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all the characters and the other stuff you recognize.  
**

**A/N: So I got more reviews than usually, thank you! So I have one think i want, actually two, to ask you. Please tell me what you think! So question one: Should Vinnie or Embry Embry tell first 'i love you'. Did you understand my question? I hope you did, 'cause this sounds a bit confusing to me :) The second question: Who should get married at the next summer? Any suggestions?  
And thanks to all who reviewed! Thanks _Jazminadra_, you almost wrote the whole review in English! Bananas are great... :)  
_Superdani_, thanks. I think Embry will become more you know, uncontrol ;)Thanks _SweetnSpoiledx93_, it's so nice to hear that you like this :) _Slightly_, your review made my day, thanks :) _missbrunetgirl_, thanks, nice to hear your opinion. **

Chapter 10 (Vinnie's POV)

Wow. That was my only thought when Embry told me he had forgotten to do something. Despite the fact that I had never kissed a guy before, I just knew what he was about to do. I felt a tiny bit scared, but that disappeared very quickly. My fear replaced with desire, hope and excitement. All I wanted to do was to press my lips against Embrys and just feel his body pressed into mine. The kiss was the best thing I had ever experienced. A couple of weeks ago, I thought that there was nothing better that chocolate chip cookies with butterscotch. Boy, had I been wrong. Embrys lips tasted a million times better than cookies. I've never kissed a guy before, so I can't say that I know what I'm talking about, but in my opinion, Embry was a great kisser.

I was so caught up with the brilliant kiss, that Embry was the one who had to remember my curfews. I never wanted to let Embry go, but I knew I had to. My father never was one of the most approval parents, and I knew he wouldn't understand that I was late because of kissing the greatest gut in the whole planet. I think that Mom would have understood and if my Dad wouldn't have been home this evening, I would have been late at least an hour.

I was actually ten minutes late, but it was so worth it. My Dad was strict, but he wouldn't mind that much about a couple of minutes, especially when he had no idea who I had been with. It wasn't fair that I hid things from Dad, but he was a lot happier when he didn't know. I had told him about my dates with Embry and he wasn't happy. He wasn't that keen on me dating and after Dillon went and spilled out the description of Embry that I had given, he had sulked. My Dad was fair enough to let me date him. He had always said that the same rules applied to me and my brothers. And since he had let them date, he had to let me too. Dad was a man of his words. Once he said or decided something, there was no turning back.

Mom was sitting alone in the kitchen, drinking her warm milk again. I figured from the sounds of the TV, that Dad was watching the news.

"Hello Vinnie. How was work?" Mom asked when she lifted her gaze from the novel she was currently reading. I had a stupid smile on my face that I knew would betray me. Still I decided to give her the normal answer I gave her every night when I got home from work.

"Boring as usual. No one slaughtered my customers. What a shame." Usually I said this with a dark voice and Mom would burst into laughter. Now she watched me suspiciously.

"Okay, spill it out. What happened?" Mom knew me well, or maybe I was just too easy to read. I sighed and sat down before answering.

"Well, Embry came to visit me." I said and took a cookie from a basket on the table. Mom lifted her brows but smiled happily.

"How nice of him. But I hope he didn't distract you from your job." I laughed a little.

"Mom, my job is dead boring and there aren't many customers on Thursday evening."

"Oh I know. I was just teasing you a little. So tell me Vinnie. Is he your boyfriend now?" I swallowed the cookie loudly. Yes, that was a very good question. It would have been nicer if I had the answer. I really hoped that Embry would be my boyfriend. He had kissed me. But I didn't know if he would want to consider me as his girlfriend after two real dates. I was scared to ask him about it. I just wanted to wait and see.

"No. We've been out two times. It's kind of early." I murmured.

"Yes that may be." Mom admitted slowly. "I'll join your father now. Sleep tight honey." She rose and kissed me on the cheek.

"Good night Mom." I called after her. Now that she had mentioned the boyfriend thing, I surely would not get any sleep tonight. I wished that I was in Embry's arms now.

"Please Vinnie, tell me every thing!" Julie pleaded. I just rolled my eyes and tried to focus on my Math problems. Stupid as I was, I had told Julie about Embry's surprise visit. I regretted it deeply. I had no desire for any kind of girl talk, that just wasn't me and Julie knew that. I just happened to have the most curious person as a best friend.

"Did he kiss you?" Julie tried to again to get something out of me. I stiffened after I heard her question. My reactions were my betrayal again. Julie stared at me, looking completely numb. Then she broke her gaze and started clapping her hands together. People turned to look back to see what was going on. When they saw it was just me and Julie, nothing interesting enough to look at, they turned away.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you!" She yelped and hugged me. "Was he any good? I bet he was. Anyone who looks like he does has to have great kissing skills…" Julie was clearly waiting an answer. I sighed deeply, knowing that I had no other choice that to answer.

"You know I have no experience what so ever, but yes, I think he was good. Really good…" I trailed off and turned to the Math problems again.

"I'm so jealous of you." Julie whined and I had to laugh.

"Julie, you have had dozens of boyfriends. You kissed every one of them. God knows what else you did with them…" Julie was a boy magnet. Even if everyone at school considered Russell, Julie and I freaks, Julie could still wrap all the guys around her little finger and make them do what ever she wanted. I guess that was her talent.

"I know I've had a bunch of boyfriends." Julie said to me like I was stupid. I rolled my eyes.

"Then why are you jealous?" I couldn't see any rational reason for that. Julie was the one of us that got all the boys. I sometimes felt a bit jealous about her boyfriends, but that passed.

"Because, what you have, is the real deal. I just had some two weeks stuff. It was just kissing touching and having fun. You have more." This time I got to look her like she was crazy. I had no idea what she meant.

"What the hell are you talking about? Why do I have more that you've had? And what's what thing about _the_ _real deal_?" Julie sighed and took my hand in hers to calm me down.

"I'm just saying that _this__,_ what you've got right now, will last. There's more than just touching and kissing in this. There will be real emotions like love and devotion." She was crazy. Should I sign her in to the mental hospital?

"You're crazy Julie. I've been out with him a couple of times. It may well be that this won't last even till Saturday. I like him very much, but you can't ever know. I don't know him yet."

"But Vinnie, you said to me after your second date, that it felt like you had known him forever. I remember how you were worried about liking him too much in such a short period of time. I know you're worried. But I think this will be something great, something big. I have this hunch, and the way I saw him looking at you… It was like he was already in love with you Vinnie. And I know you're not far from that either. Vinnie you're just the kind of person that when you fall in love, you never fall out of it. You're just so constant, when you decide something, you stick on it. You have to believe I'm right, for this time even. I just know there's something in you two." I looked deeply into Julies eyes and saw the truth. She believed every word she had said. She had practically said that I would live happily ever after with Embry. Her words made me freak out. But I was even more freaked out because that didn't sound so bad. Spending the rest of my life with Embry. What had gotten into me?

I tried to make myself forget the things that Julie had said. Still they haunted me all day long. Russell was puzzled because of my strange behavior during the day. I had been positive that Julie would tell him, but she didn't. For the first time she hid something from Russell. I really appreciated that. I wanted time to think. But the problem was that I had nothing to think about. I liked Embry a lot more that I should have, I wanted to be with him every second, I wanted to feel him touch me and I wanted to smell that delicious scent of his. That was it. Those things were facts and there really was nothing to think about.

I had finally calmed down once I was out of the school. I had wanted to call Embry the whole day as I had promised. Knowing that I was finally alone and he was out of school too; I picked up my cell and dialed. It rang just once before he answered. It was very funny that he had waited so eagerly my call.

"Vinnie?" He questioned though I knew he was one hundred per cent sure that it was me.

"Hi handsome." I greeted him. He laughed his booming laugh.

"So only you're allowed to say corny things like that?" I smiled widely, trying hard not to laugh.

"It was just a greeting. And yes, as a matter of fact I am." I could hear another laugh from Embry's side of the line. Was some one listening to us? I heard Embry mutter something so low that I had no chance to hear it at all.

"Do you mind saying hello to Quil?" He asked after he stopped murmuring. I frowned.

"Your friend Quil?" I asked suspiciously. Why on earth he wanted to speak with me.

"Yes. Honestly, how many Quils have you heard of?" I heard a quite laugh and then 'ouch' from someone, probably Embry.

"Okay, I'll talk to him." What had I gotten myself into?

"Hello Vinnie!" A low voice said. It was definitely lower that Embrys, but there where similarities.

"Hi, um, Quil?" He laughed loudly. It was the same one I heard before.

"I thought you were sassy. That's what Embry, um, told us." I wondered why he hesitated with the word told, but I didn't pay that much attention to it.

"Oh, is that what he told you Quil? Just that you know, I think I can be "sassy" when I want to. This just happens to be the first time we've spoke, so I was trying to be nice, _Quil._"

"Don't you start with the name, Vinnie the Pooh." He murmured and then yelped from the pain. I could only guess where that came from.

"So you think I have no brain and I'm fat?" I tried to sound angry, but if was difficult since I found the situation hilarious.

"Oh no! Nothing like that. I heard that you're quite skinny…" Embry sure had told his friends a lot about me. I didn't mind as long as he was telling the truth. His friends seem nice anyway.

"Did you have a certain reason you wanted to talk to me? If you don't so can you please put Embry back on?" He laughed again and muttered something about Embry being the popular one.

"Yes I did actually. I just wanted to ask what your plans are for Saturday."

"If you wanted to ask me out, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I already have a date." I joked.

"Yeah, yeah very funny. I just wanted to make sure you're going to meet us all."

"How many people are we talking about exactly?"

"Just couple of mine and Embry's friends." I did want to see his friends, they seemed so nice. And it was only fair since Embry had already met mine.

"Okay, I'll come. I make sure Embry brings me to see you."

"Excellent! I'll see on Saturday then. I'll put Embry back on the phone. Bye Vinnie!"

"Bye Quil." Embry seemed to have some bouncy friends. It made me feel good about myself that Quil and possibly Embrys other friends too were eager to see me. I knew that Quil would be the kind of a guy I would like as a friend. He seemed a lot like me. But meeting Embry's friends scared me a bit. I was worried that they wouldn't like me. That was unusual for me, to care what other people thought of me. Being with Embry had brought out this new side of me. Usually I only cared about the opinions of Julie, Russell and my family. Since Embry had become such an important part of my life, I had begun to think about some things differently. Embry's opinion meant a lot to me.

"Were you permanently traumatized?" Embry asked when he returned to the phone. My heart raced when I heard his voice.

"No, Quil is nice, a lot like me." I said, speaking truth. Embry snorted.

"You're not as annoying as Quil. As a matter of fact, you're not annoying at all." Embry praised me. I uttered a small laughter.

"Embry, you're a rotten liar. Or alternatively you think too highly of me."

"I'm not lying, I'm telling the absolute truth. You're the greatest person I've ever met Vinnie. And I'm going to tell that to you every day." Embry vowed. I was going to be crazy. First my Mom had talked about the boyfriend thing, then Julie had stirred up my thoughts up with her crazy talk and now Embry was talking about _me_ like that. I didn't respond to Embry's words, so the line was silent for a while.

"Vinnie, are you there?" Embry asked with an uneasy voice. Why did he always worry so much about me? Never ever had anyone worried so much about me in my entire life, as Embry had worried just this passed week.

"Of course I'm here. Where would I go?" I asked and tried to sound normal. Embry's words mixed with Julie's conclusions made me think about just how much I did care about Embry. The answer was simple; way too much. I know that this should have scared me to death, but it didn't. My common sense had disappeared somewhere a long the way getting known to Embry. And honestly, I didn't give a damn.

"Oh, I just get paranoid sometimes." I could hear the smile in Embrys words and that made me smile too. I glared the clock and groaned.

"I'm sorry Embry; I've got to go now. I have to go to work…" I sighed and so did Embry. Neither of us was happy about the interruption.

"Okay. I'll call you tomorrow so we can settle the time when I'm picking you up."

"Yeah, I'll wait for your call." I said goodbye to Embry and hung up. I felt sad, because I just wanted to be with him. I didn't want to let him go, but I just had to go to work. Well, I would just dream about Embry the whole time. Saturday morning would probably go well since I was going to visit my cousin Kayla. I hadn't seen her for a while and I missed her, we were very close.

Kayla is the daughter of my Moms sister Lena. Aunt Lena is nice but a little snobbish. She didn't look a day older than forty but in reality she was already fifty. Some nip and tuck here and there had made her look young. My Mom didn't approve of that, but she kept her mouth shut. Aunt Lena's husband, my Uncle Greg was a chubby man with reddish cheeks. He was usually cheerful, especially when he had taken a couple of shots, which he did often. I didn't like Kayla's parents, my uncle and aunt, but Kayla was great. I had always liked her, even when we were so different. Kayla was sixteen now and lived in Forks. She was a girly girl, always wore pink clothes and lots of dresses. Kayla was the only child and Uncle Greg spoiled her with all kind of things. Me and Kayla were nothing a like. Our only similarity was our eyes. Our grey eyes run down in Moms family and Kayla and I both had them. Kayla had fair skin which never got tan. Her dirty light brown hair was short and she was only 5'2''. Our personalities didn't match; I was this sarcastic pessimistic person and Kayla was cheerful and optimistic. I have no idea how I got along with her, I just did. Normally people like Kayla, the popular kids, can't stand me. And I couldn't stand them. Maybe I coped with her just because we were family, I don't know. Despite all our differences I loved Kayla and I had missed her. The last time we had saw each other was the previous summer.

So, ten am on Saturday morning I got in my car on and drove to Forks. By eleven o'clock I was in front of Kayla's house. The house had two stories and it was painted a beige color. Aunt Lena enjoyed gardening unlike my Mom and the garden was full of colorful flowers. I looked at the house for a while, remembering the last time I had visited. I didn't get to think too far. The front door opened and I saw my aunt stepping put of the house. Her skin looked abnormal when she smiled. All the surgeries had made her look weird. I was sure she had got Botox injections just a couple days ago. I tried to smile to Aunt Lena and then stepped out of the car.

Aunt Lena walked bouncily towards me. She held me in a stern embrace.

"Winona, it is so good to see you. I am so glad you came to visit us. Kayla and I have missed you." Aunt Lena prattled cheerfully.

"Yeah, I'm glad too. I missed you guys. And I would appreciate it Aunt Lena if you would just call me Vinnie like everyone else." I said and stepped a couple of steps back to get my Aunt's hands of off me.

"None sense! Your mother named you Winona Calla Hughes, and that's the name I'm going to call you." I took a deep sight but left it there. I knew there was no point arguing. Everyone expect Aunt Lena had called me Vinnie as long as I could remember. Aunt Lena was a stubborn woman; if she wanted to call me Winona, then she would.

"So Winona, do you want some coffee? Or do you drink tea?" My aunt asked and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Tea would be nice. Is Kayla inside?" I wanted to get rid of Aunt Lena as soon as it was possible. There was the required tea time in every visit. Aunt Lena always wanted to know what was going on in other people lives.

"Yes, Kayla is taking the blueberry pie put of the oven." I nodded to my aunt and stepped inside of the house. I could already smell the delicious scent of the pie that made my mouth water. The house had remained untouched since my last visit. The decoration was very art deco and it fitted into Aunt Lenas style perfectly. The walls were white and some black and white pictures where hung on the walls. The house was wide, and looked very sterile. It was one of those homes where I was afraid to touch anything because I was afraid it would get dirty. The kitchen was so clean, that I would never have believed that someone had baked a pie in there. Kayla stood there with a pink apron on. That reminded me off my work uniform. I was happy to see Kayla. She hadn't changed that much, just looked a little older.

"Vinnie!" Kayla cried and run to hug me. I hugged her back tightly. Kayla uttered a little laughter.

"Oh right, you never were one of those touchy feely girls." She said with a smile and made me laugh.

"Yeah you got that one right." Kayla asked me to sit down and help myself some tea and pie. My Aunt talked mainly to herself and asked about Dillon's and Stephan's studies. I answered as well as I could. Kayla was quite and let her mother talk. After Aunt Lenas long story about how she had started taking yoga classes, Kayla finally opened her mouth.

"So Vinnie, tell me, do you finally have a boyfriend?" I stiffened. That was a question I had not expected. Aunt Lena had asked me about it years earlier, but had stopped because I never had any interest towards the opposite sex. Kayla and Aunt Lena lifted their brows and looked at me curiously.

"Well, I'm dating this one guy…" I murmured and stuffed more pie into my mouth.

"Tell us more Winona! Who is this young gentleman?" I was so embarrassed about my aunt's choice of words. Gentleman just didn't fit into Embrys imago.

"His name is Embry Call and he lives in La Push." I gave them the basic facts and hoped that they wouldn't ask more about Embry. How terribly wrong I was…

"Is he one of the Quilautes? I think I've saw him once at First Beach when my friends and I were partying there. I recall that he and his friends were huge! Good looking though…" Kayla said and looked at me with a totally different attitude in her eyes.

"Is this true Winona? How old is this Embry Call? Do your parents know about this?"

"Yes Aunt Lena, this is true. Embry is a senior like me. And my parents do know about this. Actually, I'm going on a date with him after I leave here." Okay the last comment was just to shock my aunt a little bit more. I couldn't stand her nosiness. Kayla and Aunt Lena just sat quietly on their chairs and looked at me. They were puzzled about the fact that I, Winona Calla Hughes, was dating a _guy_. What a shock.

The rest of my visit went well. Kayla and Aunt Lena dropped the boyfriend subject and I was happy about it. But still, during the whole visit, I wanted Embry to call me. At twelve thirty he finally called. He asked me if I could drive to the Forks high school, he would pick me from there. I agreed to this and promised to be there at exactly one o'clock. At twelve forty-five, I said goodbyes to my aunt and Kayla. It had only been a day since I'd seen Embry, but I missed him so much that my heart ached. I had thought about Embry so much, that I had almost totally forgotten about his secret. What was it? And was he going to share it with me today?

**A/N: Wghat did you think? Please review! And please tell me your opinion to the questions I asked , I can't decide! Thanks to my wonderful beta, _charmed ireland_ ****.net/u/501496/**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, all the characters that you recognize belong to Stephenie Meyer. **

**A/N: I'm so sorry that this has taken me so long, but I had to wait for my beta to fix this. You wouldn't be happy if she didn't do that. I'm sorry, about the ending of this one, it's a cliff hanger, I know, but I hope you like it. I just needed the POV change and I hate to do both in the same chapter.  
Thanks _Superdani._ Your oppinnionmade me decide, it's time for Kim and Jarred's wedding :) Aww, I'm going to to love it. I'm so glad you liked the last one, I hope that you'll enjoy this one too. More about Leah's feeling towards Vinnie are coming up in the chapter 13 and 14.  
Thank you_ jazminadra. _I'm so glad that you always review. You're doing great at writing the reviews in English, I'm proud of you :) (I would be proud of myself if I was able to do that too, I'm too lazy, but I'll try)  
_SweetnSpoiledx93, _thank you, glad you like it. No, no one's going to imprint on Kayla, I promise. Later on you'll realize why. You can read the 'I love you' scene later on, in chapter 13. I so much hope that you'll love it. With the wedding I meant that I had already decided that there's someone's wedding in the summer. I already saw Vinnie in my head, wearing a red dress and looking very uncomfortable. I just hadn't decided yet, but now I have. **

**So thank you everyone, I'll hope you like this one!**

Chapter 11 (Embry's POV)

The kiss on Thursday evening… I have no words for it. It was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. Before kissing Vinnie, I had actually kissed a lot of girls. But this one kiss outshone all of them. Nothing was better than my Vinnie. I wasn't capable of driving home that evening. I had to phase and run back home. I was so emotional, that I would surely have crashed. Sam was the one on the patrol that day, so I got my car back that I could go to school on Friday. I almost skipped the whole day, but then I thought again. There was nothing me to do for the whole day. I couldn't go see Vinnie, so I decided to go to school.

"I know what you did last night." Quil said with a creepy voice. We were walking to our Math class and it was raining, again.

"Quil, seriously man, you're watching too many movies." Jake said on the other side of me. But then his face lightened up.

"What else can I do? Embry's always with Vinnie or thinking about her so much that he's totally brain dead. And you Jake, you're always in Olympia when ever you have free time. I can't see Claire every day, you know. When I'm not with her, watching movies is all I got left to do." Jake laughed at Quil's statement. Then he turned on me.

"So, what were you doing last night?" Jake had an evil smirk on his face. I sighed deeply but I had to smile. The memory of Vinnie's lips on mine was just so… I couldn't even find a word to describe that.

"I kissed her, what's the big deal" Quil and Jake started clapping their hands and slapping me on the back.

"It was about time man. So how was it?" Quil asked curiously.

"I'm not telling you."

"We're going to find out eventually." Jake reminded me and I frowned. I would have loved to keep that moment private, just between me and Vinnie. It was too intimate to share with my brothers. Jake and Quil left it there and I could finally concentrate on the most important thing; Vinnie.

I felt sad for the whole day. I missed Vinnie so much. Jake, Quil and the others said I was boring. But I could handle that. The only opinion that mattered to me now was Vinnie's.

In the middle of the cafeteria, I began to think. That was nothing new to me, but I thought about my secret and Vinnie. I had promised to tell her soon, and after that kiss I felt like wanting to tell her. I didn't want to keep anything from her. Would it be a good time to tell her today?

"What's wrong Embry?" It was Kim's sweet voice calling for me. She sat next to Jared, and he had his arms around her. I looked at Kim's brown eyes and I could see that she worried for me. She was a lot like Emily, but a little shy. She usually liked to hang out with just Jared. Maybe the rest of us were a bit scary.

"I'm just thinking about today…" I murmured quietly. Now all the attention was on me. Every pair of eyes was looking at me. I felt awkward in the middle of the attention, so I focused on my plate.

"You can tell her Embry. She can take it. Even I could, and she seems a lot stronger and more confident than me." I lifted my gaze from my mashed potatoes. Kim was smiling a little bit and my brothers looked very serious.

"Kim's right Embry. We all can see how you're struggling with this." Jared said and looked at me compassionately. He had been through this and that's why I appreciated the words from him. I knew that Paul had been through this too, but he had done this completely differently. Every one was quite for a while, just looking at me and smiling happily. The suddenly Quil jumped up from his chair.

"You're so going to tell her! You know I'm bad with secrets." He said looking at me. No one could be happier about this than Quil. Expect me. I rose and moved next to Quil. I was taller than him, I could see that now. I shook of my interrupting thought and put my hand down on his shoulder.

"Quil, just so you know, if you ever tease her, make her feel bad abut herself or anything else, I _will_ break your neck." Quil looked at me astonished. Then he left out a booming laugh. I scowled and waited for Quil to stop laughing. I was completely serious. Quil leaned against my shoulder looking for support so that he wouldn't collapse on the floor from laughter. Quil gasped and then stopped laughing, finally.

"You… break my neck… No way!" Quil started laughing again. I growled, but so lowly that no one but us was going to hear. Quil stopped laughing in that instant.

"What's so funny about me breaking your neck?" I gritted my teeth and glared at him.

"No offense, but I'm hell of a lot stronger than you." Quil finally spit out. He looked like he was ready to run, and fast.

"Want to test that?" I hissed out. In a split second Jake, Jared and Paul were right beside me.

"Calm down Embry." Jake ordered with a stern voice. I sighed and took a step back.

"I'm all right. I don't know what's got into me." I murmured. "Sorry Quil." Quil already had a wide smile on his face.

"No harm done, bro." I smiled back at him.

"So, how about the test?" I asked and eyed Quil. I would love to find out if I could win that one.

"If I were you Quil, I wouldn't agree." Jared said and scratched his head.

"And why not? I'm lot stronger than Embry!" Quil get steamed up.

"Calm down." Jake's voice reminded us all.

"I know that you are, but Embry is faster, more experienced and the most important thing, he's a lot more motivated that you." Quil frowned. The bell rang just in time. Everyone split up, but Quil stayed behind with me.

"So, how about tomorrow morning?" I laughed and clapped his shoulder.

"Maybe another time Quil." I said and sprinted to my next class.

"Embry, what's gotten into you?" Mom asked when she walked into kitchen Saturday morning. She rubbed her eyes, like she had seen a mirage. Mom was still in her pajamas. I smiled and put the pancakes on my plate. I fetched the maple syrup from the fridge and then turned to answer to my Mom.

"I've got a date. Vinnie's coming here today!" I was more that excited. I felt like singing and dancing.

"Today? Oh, I'm happy for you. Am I going to see her? I would love that." Mom smiled.

"I don't know Mom. She may be too scared to meet you." I didn't want to disappoint Mom, but I wanted Vinnie to feel good too. And I hated to admit it, but I cared Vinnie more than Mom. It sounded so harsh in my own head that I was ashamed of my own thoughts. Mom had been always been the most important person in my life, but when Vinnie came, I could see nothing but her. If Vinnie would leave, so would I. There was no life without her, not as far as I could see.

Mom looked a little sad because of my denial, but she cheered up quickly.

"Okay, I'll let you off the hook this time, but next time she's coming, you're not going to get off that easily. Your old mother deserves to see your girlfriend."

"Yes you do. But you're not old. And she's not my girlfriend either…" This was a sensitive subject to me. I wanted nothing more than to call Vinnie my girlfriend. But it had been a little over a week and I was sure that Vinnie would think it would be too early. I didn't want Vinnie to run away.

"Oh, okay. But I still want to meet her; she seems like a sweet girl."

"She is Mom. I promise to bring her to see you as soon as I think she's ready." I vowed. Mom looked at me and didn't say a word. Finally she took a deep breath.

"I'm a little worried about you Embry." Mom whispered. I was puzzled.

"What do you mean?" Those weren't odd words from Mom's mouth. I had made her worry so much during the last two years. But nowadays, there hadn't been anything to worry about.

"You seem to be deeply in love Embry. I'm worried that you will hurt yourself. Is this Vinnie really worth it?" I frowned and tried to suffocate my anger. Insulting Vinnie when I was within hearing range was the worst thing someone could ever do. I kept telling myself that Mom was just worried about me and nothing else. She didn't mean to insult her or me. It took me a second to calm myself down.

"Vinnie is worth it and so much more." I murmured to Mom.

"Well, that explains why you're up at 7 o'clock in the morning." Mom smiled and I joined her. I was going to see Vinnie today, and nothing could ever go wrong. I had never felt happier in my entire life. I was going to share my secret with Vinnie, today.

"Are you sure you're going to bring her to see us?" Quil asked for the thousandth time this morning. I had been sitting in Emily's kitchen since ten o'clock. It seemed like everyone was there, encouraging me. It had been a private moment when I decided that I was going to tell Vinnie. Still, everyone knew what I had planned. I was nervous and I kept glancing at the clock every five minutes. I was nervous as hell. I had never felt anything more nerve-racking than this day. Quil wasn't making me feel any better.

"Yes Quil, she promised you right?" I was so tired of Quil's questions. He had brought Claire with him today, but even that couldn't make Quil be totally quiet.

"Well yes she did. But I was just thinking that you wouldn't bring her here."

"As long as she wants to come, I'll bring her." Quil smiled and picked Claire up from the floor setting her in his lap.

"What do you think Claire-Bear? Is Uncle Embry going to bring Vinnie here?" Claire's big brown eyes widened a little.

"Who's Vinnie?" She asked with a surprised voice. Quil laughed and stroked her dark hair.

"You remember, the girl I told you about? The one that Embry likes very much, Vinnie?"

"If she's a girl like me, why does she have a boy's name?" Claire looked puzzled.

"Well, she's a little odd like Embry here." Quil and I both laughed a little. Claire's little face looked happy.

"Okay. Quil, come play with me!" She said and started bouncing up and down in Quil's lap.

"Sure Claire-Bear. What do want to play?"

"I want to play dog!" She shouted and jumped down on the floor. "I want you to be the dog! Get down on your knees Quil!" Quil did what she asked and I tried to not to laugh. Then Claire climbed onto his back.

"Run dog!" She yelled and Quil stared "running". What a great day this was.

I settled the time with Vinnie on the phone. I promised to be in Forks high schools parking lot at one o'clock. So about twelve thirty I said goodbye to everyone. I was so nervous and I knew that I would relax right when I saw Vinnie. She had a very calming affect on me.

"It's going to be fine." Emily whispered into my ear. She pulled me into a hug to wish me good luck.

"Thanks Emily." I said and hopped into my truck. I waved to them all and headed towards Forks.

After thirty nerve-wracking minutes I was there. The lot was empty, Vinnie hadn't arrived yet. I stepped out of the truck, needing some fresh air. It felt so agonizing to sit alone in the cab. I leaned against the truck and tapped my left foot on the ground. It hadn't even been a minute, and still I was feeling anxious. I squeezed my hands into fists an opened them again; I was being frustratingly restless. What if she wasn't coming? I drove that thought out of my head as quickly as I could. That was the one thought I could not accept.

And like always, my worry was pointless. After these reckless thoughts, Vinnie pulled into the empty parking lot with her tiny red Toyota. I couldn't keep from smiling, not that I would ever want to.

She parked in the space next to my truck. I was anxious to get her out of the car, into my arms. I was sure it would be okay for me to show my affection for her.

She undid her seatbelt and rushed out of the car, like she wanted to be with me as well. Her silky black hair hung free, the way I liked it best, her grey eyes were wide with enthusiasm. She had light blue jeans on with sneakers. She was also wearing a black hoodie. Under that I could see a grey print t-shirt.

She stepped closer to me, her mouth just a little bit open, like she was waiting for a kiss. Her lips were a little bit glossy, maybe from a lip balm. She had no makeup on and she looked like an angel. No, even better. She looked like Vinnie, the most beautiful creature in the whole planet. Even the blonde haired female Cullen was nothing compared to her.

"Hi Embry." She stepped closer to me, so she was now just an inch away from me. She had to look up to me. That must've been uncomfortable. Vinnie's eyes were boring into mine. Her eyes looked as deep as the Pacific Ocean. I was unable to speak. Staring at her open lips, I did the only thing I could imagine to do. I kissed her.

Her lips were so sweet, like orange and chocolate, just like before. The heat and softness were even better that I had remembered. My memory, which was pretty good, hadn't done justice to this.

I wrapped my hands around her narrow waist, to support her weight. She didn't even seem to notice when her feet left the ground. Her hands found their way to my hair at the same time as she crushed her lips eagerly into mine. She touched my lips with the tip of her tongue, asking me to open my mouth. I did what she asked. I couldn't refuse her.

I had no idea how long our kiss lasted; I had lost the track of time. It was Vinnie who pulled away this time, needing oxygen.

I didn't let go of her. I didn't want to do that, ever. She took her time catching her breath before looking up at me.

Her face seemed to be glowing and eyes sparkling. Well, this may have easily been the work of my imagination. I lifted my right hand from her waist to her delicate face. I put her hair behind her ear, so I could see her face better. Her breathing became quicker when I brushed her face with the back of my hand. I uttered laughter and finally managed to say something.

"It's good to see you Vinnie." I said, little breathless too. Her lips twisted into a smile.

"Yeah, it's good to kiss you too, Embry." I nodded as an agreement. It really was great to kiss her. I was pretty surprised, that she was able to make a joke about it. When my mind had frozen up, hers was running clearly. Maybe this was that thing where women could do multiple things at the same time.

"Should we get going?" She had to ask, because I was stopped to stare at her. She must've have noticed that; she was trying hard not to laugh.

"Yeah, we should, if you really want to see Quil and the others today." She was free to say no. Maybe she would say no after I had freaked her out with the truth…

"I do want to see them. _I_'m not chickening out." What an evil girl she was. Not that I minded much. That was just a part of Vinnie's charm.

"Let's go then."

Driving back my windshield wipers were working overtime. It had started raining – again. Vinnie had changed the channel into a rock classics station and was singing along. She didn't seem to stay in tune, but who cared. She still had the most beautiful voice I'd ever heard. It was a good thing that I was familiar with the road. You see, I wasn't watching it much. Vinnie was so much more interesting. Every now and then she glanced at me and smiled widely.

The drive was pretty quiet, only the engine and wipers made any sound. The silence wasn't awkward, not at all. We enjoyed each others company, and it was okay just to be quiet.

We had just passed the first houses in the outskirts of La Push, when Vinnie opened her mouth.

"So, where are you taking me?" Vinnie asked and took my hand in hers. I pulled her closer and put my arm around her shoulders. I could hear her taking a deep breath, as if she wanted to take some good scent in.

"I think we're going to the beach." I inhaled Vinnie's sweet chocolaty scent. She turned to look at me with wide eyes.

"It's raining Embry." It sent shiver down my spine to hear her saying my name like that.

"I know, but I'm going to tell you something. It's better that we have some privacy." If you for example run away screaming. I looked down at her, wanting to see how she reacted for the information. Her eyes were still wide, but now full of understanding. She didn't say anything, just nodded. She knew I was going to tell her my secret. I was kind of surprised that she wasn't pressuring me to tell her right now. Vinnie was a more surprising person that I'd thought.

"You know Embry, I'm really happy with you. There's nothing that can change that." She muttered quietly. She leaned against me with her whole body, as if to comfort me.

Those words surprised me as well. Vinnie must have had some hunch that I was going to tell her something bad. Still, I couldn't hold her to the promise she had made. If she wanted to run, I wouldn't hold her back. I could never ever make her suffer.

"I'm really happy with you too Vinnie. These have been the best days of my life, trust me." I said and pulled my truck over. We have arrived to the beach. It was time to tell her the truth.

I helped Vinnie out of the car. She protested that she didn't need any help, but I pretended not to hear anything. She deserved to be treated like a lady.

I took the umbrella out of the truck, remembering that Vinnie would get cold if she got wet. Rain didn't bother me. I opened the umbrella and gave it to Vinnie.

I took her free hand in mine and lead her closer to the forest. I thought that we might need the protection of the trees. I could tell that there was no one else in the beach, but still.

I was silent for a long time, thinking the right way to phrase it. The other thought that was eating me alive was that terrible thought that this might be the last time I was with Vinnie. I took a deep breath and looked at Vinnie, trying to memorize all her beautiful features.

Vinnie's eyes were pleading. The rain drops looked like tears on her brown skin. I swabbed them a way with my thumb.

"Embry, please, just spit it out. I can handle it, what ever you're going to tell me." I shook my head.

"I'm not so sure of that." Vinnie's face had hardened. She looked tough now.

"Try me." She dared. Okay, here we go then. I said to my self. There was no more time to think, I had to let it out.

"Vinnie, I'm a werewolf."

**A/N: I'm sorry! I know that was cruel... But I promise you that the next one will be a lot more longer. I just so much needed to change the POV, I hope you'll understand. Okay so thanks to my awesome beta, charmed-ireland (.net/u/501496/) You are the best, this chapter's so much better now. Thanks for fixing all my stupid mistakes :)**


	12. Chapter 12

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**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Twilight**_**, all the characters that you recognize belong to **_**Stephenie Meyer**_**. **

**A/N: I'm so sorry! This took me so long and I hope you still remember this story. Okay, this chapter was kind of difficult to write and I ask you to tell me if Vinnie's reactions felt real or not, so please review. This one is the longest one yet!  
Thanks _SweetnSpoiledx93_, I hope you like her reaction :) _Superdani,_ I loved your review! I'm so glad you liked those quotes, because they were my favorites too. You can also find out more about Seth and his crushes in this and the chapter 13. I'm sorry, but I had to do that, I hope that this chapter will make it up to you :) _Jazminadra_, maybe it's good you wrote that one in Finnish xD Yep, but thanks anyway :)  
_xxmidnightxflowerxx_, I sure did need an update, I hope you like this one!**

Chapter 12 (Vinnie's POV)

_"Embry, please, just spit it out. I can handle it, what ever you're going to tell me."_

_"I'm not so sure of that."_

_"Try me."_

"Vinnie, I'm a werewolf." He stated. I looked at him. I had no idea what I had expected, but definitely not this. I looked at Embry's serious face. And then burst into laughter. I bent over because I was laughing so hard. I had to grab Embry's arm so I wouldn't fall. Embry groaned desperately when I laughed. It was almost hard to breath, this was just so funny.

"Vinnie, please tell me what's wrong. Are you going into shock?" He asked, sounding worried.

"You're a pretty talented actor!" I managed to get out between my laughter.

"Actor, what are you talking about?!" I looked up to him, still bending because my stomach muscles were very tender.

"I have to admit, that this is very funny. But I still would love to hear your real secret." I said as I straightened up. Embry's face was full of understanding now. He really was a great actor. He should play in Hollywood. I totally thought he was serious.

"You think I made this up, don't you?" He asked, with a bit of frustration in his husky voice.

"Well, it's kind of obvious. I'm not five anymore you know." I teased him.

"Yeah, I can see you're not five." He looked kind of amused. It really was a good thing I wasn't five. The feeling of Embry's kiss just hit me and I had to sigh with fascination. I wanted to linger in the moment, but then I had to concentrate on Embry's words.

"Vinnie", he said, taking my hand in his. "I'm serious. I phase into a giant wolf when I want to." His face was hard but loving, like he wanted me to believe in this very badly. Still, I made a joke out of it.

"I thought that you needed a full moon to change…" Embry lifted my chin with his fingers so I had to stare him at the eyes. Not that I wouldn't love to do that anyway. Embry had a small smile on his lips, but his eyes were still serious.

"You're not going to believe me." He said to mostly himself. I still had to replay.

"I don't believe in fairytales." Embry shook his head, looking kind of sad about my words.

"I wish that this was a fairytale. Then it could have a happy ending." Embry was in pain, I could see that. He had worry wrinkles in his forehead.

"Please Embry; tell me what your secret is. It'll make you feel so much better." I pleaded and stroked his jaw with the back of my hand. It was horrible to see Embry like that, suffering. All I wanted to do was to make him feel better. Then Embry did something he hadn't ever done. He pushed me away. I instantly felt an aching pain in my chest, like a part of me had been ripped away brutally. I tried desperately to reach for his hand. It felt like he had abandoned me.

It looked like he wanted to reach for my hand, but he shook his head, taking a step away from me.

"I already told you the truth Vinnie."

"What are you talking about?" I was very frustrated. Embry was looking odd. He didn't seem to be the Embry I had got to know. He was freaking me out a little.

"I guess I have to show you then." Then he took his white t-shirt off. My mouth was hanging open as I was staring at his amazing looking body. I probably seemed like a drooling dog. His chest was muscular and very large. I had to remind myself to keep breathing.

He threw the shirt onto ground. Then he reached for the zipper of his jeans. I had been frozen in place, but this woke me up.

"Embry, what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm showing you, like I said." Wow. I thought that we had been pretty fast with our relationship before this. But this bothered me a bit.

"You're showing me what?" I was pretty upset. But I somehow didn't mind watching Embry's bare chest.

"My secret." He answered and turned his back on me. He was about to drop his jeans.

"As much as I'm enjoying seeing you half-naked, I think this", I pointed Embry and me with my hand, "is moving too fast. You can plan a striptease show for me, but maybe after a couple of months, if you don't mind." Embry let out a small laugh and dropped his pants. He was totally naked now. Wow. That's all I have to say. Wow.

I hadn't noticed before, but he had moved all the time and now he was on the shade of the forest. Then the impossible happened. I swear I didn't even blink my eyes. It happened so fast. First, there was a naked Embry standing a couple of feet away from me and the there was a huge gray wolf. It had darker spots on its back and it was as tall as a horse.

I think I screamed, but I can't be sure. I felt dizzy. It took me a moment to realize what just happened. I stepped a few steps back and then I fell. Panic hit me. I was lying on the ground and I had no escape. I didn't want to die yet. I was just eighteen.

Then the wolf stepped closer. I tried to get off the ground, but my muscles weren't obeying me at all. The wolf got so close to me, that I could have touched his coat. I was going to scream, when something familiar caught my eye.

His eyes were too strange to belong to any animal. They were human. They belonged to someone I loved. Oh crap. This so was not happening. I pinched myself, just to make sure I wasn't sleeping. Ouch.

"So, you're a werewolf, huh." I stated with a surprisingly steady voice. The wolf, Embry, stared at me with worried eyes. He was worried how I took the news. Well, just to let you know, I did consider myself as a lunatic. How would you feel, if something that belonged in fairytales was standing right in front of you. My vision of the world had been all wrong. I had been thinking that I was weird. It was good to know that there was something weirder that I.

"No full moon? I'm impressed." Humor, my defensive mechanism. I guess Embry saw my fear through the joke. He shook his long shaped head and turned to pick up his clothes in his mouth. He disappeared into the woods.

I put my head on my knees. I still couldn't believe that this was happening. There was no such thing as werewolves. But still, there were. I took a deep breath. Embry was a werewolf. My brain refused to understand that.

"Are you okay?" Embry appeared from the woods, fully clothed. He looked the same, but still he didn't. He was relieved but worried. I hadn't thought even in my wildest dreams, that this was Embry's secret.

"I-I think so." I stuttered. Embry sat next to me on the wet ground and put his arms around me. It was still raining. I had totally forgotten that.

"I'm sorry I had to do that, but you wouldn't ever have believed me." He murmured into my ear. Embry's touch felt so calming. He kissed my hair and murmured comforting things to me. I leaned into him, wanting to feel the warmth of his body.

"You have to tell me more about this. I'm confused." I felt Embry nodding his head. He cleared his throat, like he was going to tell me a long story. I tried to listen carefully, so I wouldn't miss anything.

"You know my tribe, Quileutes?" I nodded quickly, eager to hear more.

"Legends tell that our ancestors turned into wolves to protect our tribe from the cold ones." He shivered.

"What are the cold ones?" I asked, not quite understanding what he was trying to tell me.

"You would call them vampires."

"What?! There are vampires too?" Vampires, werewolves, what else? Witches?

"Yeah, that's why we exist, to protect you humans from the blood suckers. I'll tell you more about them someday."

"So you don't need full moon? How about other myths?" I asked still shocked to hear about vampires.

"We don't need full moon; we can change when ever we want. And I don't think that silver bullets have any affect on me either. So that you're not afraid, I can't change anyone into a werewolf." Well, that was a relief. I hadn't worry about being bit. Well not in that intention…

"How do you become a werewolf, then?"

"It runs down in the family, it's on your genes. That's why only our tribe has that ability."

"Do you like it? Being a werewolf, I mean?" I was awfully curious.

"Yeah, I do like it, sometimes at least." He laughed, like he was thinking some kind private joke.

"I think that you could ask more questions later. It's kind of late and we should get going. If you still want to meet the other guys I mean." I nodded and was about to get up off the ground. Embry was faster that I was and he helped me to my feet.

"So, are all of your friends werewolves?"

"Yeah. Everyone expect Kim, Rachel and Emily are werewolves." So, I was going to enter a house full of mythical creatures. It was good to know there were others who were just human, like me.

"Let's go then, my big furry friend." I said trying to sound as convincing as possible. I still was a little bit distracted about the info and I didn't want Embry to hear that. I knew it would hurt him to hear that I was so confused. Still, this wasn't going to change the way I looked at Embry. He was still Embry, my very first love. So what if he could change into a giant wolf? No big deal right.

I don't know if it was something in my words that had caused it, but Embry was looking at me like he wanted to say something badly, but he was too embarrassed to tell me. He kept glancing between me and the sandy ground. I sighed. He clearly needed some help.

"Is there something else you wanted to tell me?" Embry sneered and put his arm around my shoulders.

"Am I that obvious?" Although I was five foot nine Embry was so big that I could use him as an umbrella. Somehow the real umbrella had got lost along the way… I had started to feel cold because of the rain, so it was nice being so close to Embry's super hot, in more ways than one, body.

"Yeah, you are. Or alternatively I just look closer that anyone else."

"I think that you are very perspective. You see, I do have something to tell you, or rather ask." His face went all puzzled and embarrassed.

"Go on." I prompt. Embry swallowed and cleared his throat.

"I have been dying to ask you, that can we possibly be more than just friends." I could see where he was heading. I decided to tease him a little.

"I think we already are something more than friends. I don't kiss my friends like that. I can't be sure about you but…" I trailed off. Embry shook his head, feeling upset.

"What I meant to ask was that are you my girlfriend or what?" Finally! These words I had waited for from day one. According to Julie, Embry and I were moving pretty fast, but to me this was completely normal. I had wanted to call Embry to my boyfriend since forever. I wanted to see him more often. I wanted just sit beside him on sofa watching some stupid movie I hated. I would love that so much more than these formal dates. I wanted to get to know his mom and friends so I would feel that I was a part of his life.

The joy must have been clear on my face. I was so happy, happier than I had ever been. I felt so radiant and energetic. There couldn't be anything better that this. I couldn't even be humorous anymore. There was nothing but pure joy in my thoughts and I didn't want to tease Embry. I wanted him to know the truth and to never forget it. I wanted to scream that I loved him, but I bailed on that one. There was no way I was going to send him away because of my thoughtless words. I couldn't stand him leaving me. Just the one little gesture of pushing me away had hurt badly. What would I ever do if he left me? I surely would die. Right now, I could not see life without him. He was the centre of my whole life. It was incredible that it had all happened so quickly. Before I met Embry, I didn't believe that there was anyone I could love this way. Now, it felt terrifying just to admit all the things I was willing to do for him. Before Embry, I didn't know what love was. When I had first seen him, I had gotten a glimpse of it. Now, I thought I knew what love was. I didn't have another word for what I felt towards Embry. It was love.

"I would love to be your girlfriend Embry." I said, so much joy in my voice that it sounded weird. I didn't mind. All I wanted to do was to monitor Embry's face.

I thought I saw the feelings he must've have seen in my face. His eyes became bright and he was smiling so brightly it almost blinded me. I saw the enthusiasm and joy. All the happiness was evident in his beautiful russet colored face. I didn't even want to think about it but I thought I saw the emotion there that I was so much hoping to see. Was it love? Or something else, I couldn't tell. But I didn't have much time to think about that, because I suddenly noticed that my feet weren't touching the ground anymore. I let out a little cry.

Embry was keeping a firm grip on my hips. I could see his face clearer now when I was closer to his face. He kissed my lips many times. It was fast, not as intensive as our kisses before, but somehow they were sweeter. When he stopped, he let his forehead to touch mine. It felt so good to be so close to him.

"You have no idea how good I feel right now." He said, whispering to my lips. I chuckled and kissed his full lips.

"I might just have a little hunch." I stroke his hair and stared into his warm brown eyes. I think I had an even better idea how good this felt. He could not have felt so strongly about me. There was no way. I wanted him to, but that was not likely.

"I'm so happy."

"Me too." He whispered. I heard the car door opening. He put me down on the seat and stroked my arm. "This is the happiest day of my life Vinnie."

I had turned my back on the door so I could see Embry better now when he was driving. I just couldn't tear my gaze away from him. I wrapped my arms around my legs to keep warm. Embry looked at me once and turned on the heater. His smile was so wide that I could see all the white teeth in his mouth. We didn't speak. The radio was humming in the background, some song I didn't recognize. The sound of rain drops landing on the roof of his truck was very calming. He glanced at me every once in a while, sill smiling. I was so emotional that I couldn't think straight. The only rational thought in my head was my love for Embry. I wished the drive would never end. But of course it did, even sooner I had imagined. Of course I was eager to meet Embry's friends, but I would love to have some alone time with him, my boyfriend. It was thrilling to use that word. I never had a boyfriend and now I had the most perfect man I'd ever imagined. How could I be this lucky? One person could not deserve this much happiness. But I was so grateful about it. I would give up everything just to be with him.

"We're here." He said with his low husky voice that I would have recognized from anywhere. I looked out at the window, seeing a little wooden house with a nice small garden. It looked very cozy, a place where I would love to spend time. I climbed out of the truck, into the rain. Embry suddenly appeared onto my right side and took my hand in his. He led me quickly to the door, out of the rain.

He didn't even knock or rang the doorbell. It was like he was stepping into his home. Maybe it was somehow his second home. The place he could be himself.

As he opened the door I could hear low murmur. It sounded like there were many people talking about something they didn't want overheard. The murmur stopped when Embry slammed the door closed. I hung my coat on the coat rack. Then I heard steps, many steps, getting closer to us. I swallowed and looked up at Embry. He nodded to me encouragingly, the same bright smile still on his lips. He made me smile.

There were four people standing in the hallway. Three of them were men. Each one of them looked confusingly the same as Embry. They were all tall and muscular and they had the same colored hair and skin. I still could see the differences. The one with black t-shirt was the shortest, but also the most muscular. He had wide grin on his face. The second one was wearing shorts and a white t-shirt. I could see blood stains on it. He had the longest hair, it reached all the way down to his shoulders. This one was the biggest of them all. He was smiling too, welcoming me. The last one looked some kind of a leader. The way he stood just shouted authority.

The woman was beautiful. She had long black hair and brown eyes. She had delicate facial features. The thing that shocked me was the scars. There were three long, now faded scars on her beautiful face. I couldn't help but wonder where she'd gotten them. It was the woman who spoke first, with a warm motherly voice.

"Hello. My name is Emily." She said friendly and I shook her hand. I was like five inches taller than her.

"Hi, I'm Vinnie. You have a nice house." I complimented. She smiled widely and thanked me. The next one, the authority guy introduced himself as Sam, Emily's husband.

"It's nice to finally meat you Vinnie. I'm Jacob." The guy with the longest hair said. I had already guessed who the last person standing there was. It didn't surprise me at all when he spoke up with the familiar low voice.

"You have no idea how long we've been waiting for you!" Quil said and came to me with his arms wide open, like he was going to hug me. Oh no. I panicked too slowly. Quil squeezed me into a tight hug. I was pretty surprised, but I had definitely expected something wild from him.

"Oh, you're as hot as Embry." I noted when he let me go. He lifted his eyebrows.

"I honestly think I look better than Embry, but maybe you're a bit prejudiced." He shrugged. Embry reach for him over my shoulder, seemed to be a bit angry.

"Stop that", I said, slapping his hand and turned back to Quil.

"Very funny. Like anyone could get any hotter than Embry." I said rolling my eyes. I was telling the absolute truth and I wasn't embarrassed about it at all. That took me by surprise. I turned to Embry, checking his expression first. He had calmed down and he was watching me carefully.

"So, the heat, that's a werewolf thing, right?" I was quite certain about it after shaking everybody's hands and feeling the temperature of Quil's chest, but I had to ask. My mind wasn't going to believe this so I wanted to say it aloud as often as I could. Maybe someday my brains would realize that.

"Yeah, it is." Embry confirmed my assumption. He eyed me, looking worried about my mental health.

"Don't worry Embry. I'm totally cool with this." I reassure him with a low whisper. Somehow I had this weird feeling that everybody could hear my words. Sam and Jacob were looking away, like giving us some privacy and Quil looked like he was going to burst into laughter. Emily was the only one who didn't seem to notice anything.

Embry took a deep breath and then smiled brightly. He bent over me, to my ear.

"It's very relieving to hear that. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. But now I feel so… happy. That you know me completely now." I nodded and stared intensively into his wide brown eyes. We were both so caught up in the moment that we jumped a little when Quil, not so tactfully, coughed.

"The others are waiting to see you too Vinnie, so would you please stop looking at Embry like he's the best looking guy on earth. It makes me sick." I made a face but followed. I was feeling very at ease with Quil. He was so much like Dillon. I already thought him as my brother. I have to admit, that I was terrified about meeting more people.

It wasn't long walk to the crowded living-room. There were three other russet skinned men who looked intensively at me. I noticed three female. One was different than the others. She was surely even taller that I was. She had a short hair and she was very muscular. She looked exactly like the guys. Embry's low growl cut my thoughts short. I turned to look at him, my face surely looking very surprised.

He was staring at one of the three guys sitting on the sofa. He seemed to be the youngest; his face was more round than the others. He got onto his feet very quickly, observing Embry's facial expression. Embry's hands were shaking and he kept breathing inexact.

"What… are… you… doing… here?!" Embry half shouted at the boy. Suddenly Jacob and Sam were both standing at Embry's side.

"Calm down." They said as unison. Embry calmed immediately but kept glaring the boy.

"New crush already." Jacob murmured, but not low enough, I could easily hear that.

"Really?" Embry asked, not sounding really interested. He's eyes were now on me. He was smiling at me like he'd never been mad at all. Well, I was fine with that. All I wanted to do was to stretch onto my toes and kiss his lips, maybe his chest… Concentrate Vinnie, I told myself. I had people to meet.

I got introduced to everyone in the room. Jarred and Paul seemed nice enough. Kim was a bit shy, so I didn't connect with her easily. Jacob's sister and Paul's girlfriend Rachel seemed to be very down to earth type of girl. The one that Embry had been mad at was Seth. He was really nice guy, very sweet kid. The one I got really interested in was Leah, the only female wolf of the pack. We really seemed to have the same interests, but Leah was kind of wary. She shot glances at me every minute or so, like she was watching me, checking that I wouldn't hurt any one of her pack. Still, she seemed to be a bit interested in me. I couldn't help but wonder that hadn't Embry ever introduced his former girlfriends to his "family".

"Are you up for cliff diving Embry?" It was Quil's voice that interrupted the conversation between Embry and me. I pricked up my ears.

"I don't know Quil…" Embry trailed off and stole a glace at me. I met his eyes. It was like Embry didn't want to make plans without me. That was so sweet and it warmed my heart. Still, I didn't want that Embry's whole life just danced around me. It was totally different thing that my world danced around him.

"You go Embry, I have to work and go to practice. You'll get bored. But tell me; are you going to take me cliff diving someday?" It sounded like so much fun. I looked at Embry and he shot a warning glance at Quil. Embry had mentioned cliff diving a couple of days ago and I was eager to go.

"Maybe someday..." Embry assured me and pulled me close to his chest, wrapping his big warm arm around me. It felt so nice that I had to sigh. But, I wasn't so easily distracted. I wanted to know for sure that I was going to get a change to jump of a cliff.

"So, Quil. Will you promise me to take to cliff diving?" I turned my eyes to Quil. I thought that I heard a growl. Huh, funny. Maybe I should go and get my ears checked.

"Sorry man. But I have to promise her. It'll be so much fun." Quil apologized from Embry and then turned to me.

"We love cliff diving Vinnie, and I bet you'll love it too. I know it's too cold for you now, but I promise that Embry'll take you in the spring." I got so excited. Adrenaline started rushing through my veins. I could only imagine how it would feel; jumping of the cliff.

"Take me now, it's not too cold." I looked at Embry, who had a horrified look on his face.

"Absolutely not. Its way too cold and the currencies are so strong that you would surely drown. Like somebody else almost did before…" Embry said and glanced at Jacob. I was disappointed but I could tell that he wasn't going to give in with this. But who was that somebody who had almost drowned?

"Who almost drowned?" I asked. It wasn't Embry who answered, it was Jacob.

"It was my best friend Bella."

"What happened to her?" I asked, too curious to let it just be.

"Well, Bella got pretty messed up when her boyfriend Edward Cullen left her. I still don't know why exactly she jumped, but I think that it had something to do with him. After all, with Bella everything has something to do with Edward." Jacob was smiling, not being embarrassed at my questions.

"So who saved her? Where is she now?" I asked and glanced around, like I was expecting her to jump in front of us at any second.

"I saved her she would be dead if I hadn't been there." Jacob hesitated before he continued. "She has moved to Olympia with his husband and the rest of her family." Jacob glanced at Embry, looking unsure. Embry nodded and Jacob went on.

"But, saving her didn't do that much good since her heart isn't beating." It was clearly a joke, but I was shocked.

"What?!"

"Yeah, she's a vampire, her whole family is." I scratched my forehead, not quite understanding.

"She's your best friend? I thought you were supposed to kill them or something."

"Cullen's aren't like that. They don't hunt humans. Our ancestors made a treaty with them. I made friends with Bella while she was a human. But since you're a girlfriend with an immortal, I guess it was unavoidable. And the Cullen's are pretty nice. They're people to us." Jacob explained. Okay, now I was confused. Vampires and werewolf's were friends? Maybe I just should save the questions for later. There just was too much to deal with. So I just nodded and didn't ask any further questions. Embry kissed the top of my head, comforting me.

"It's pretty late. Maybe I should take you home." Embry proposed.

"Okay, but my car's in Forks, so maybe you could just drive me there and then I drive back to Port Angeles from there." Embry didn't look too happy. He had clearly wanted to spend more time with me.

"Maybe you can come with me, just for the drive, are you able to run back home? I bet you can run pretty fast when you're a wolf." I said, not wanting to let Embry go just yet.

"That's a good idea. And I can run fast. Faster that you can even imagine." He chuckled at his own words. That made me wonder just how fast he could run. Just blame it on my too curios nature.

We said good byes to everyone. It was kind of sad to leave. I had liked Embry's friends very much. But still, I wanted more to be alone with Embry. Just Embry and I, alone in the car. That was exactly what I needed. I never use this word, but gosh, I loved this guy way too much. I had to keep smiling. I had butterflies on my stomach, for real. I glanced up at Embry's brown eyes. Yeah, that's my boyfriend. No one could be luckier that I was. The love I felt was something I can't describe. It's something way too powerful.

"I hope I could come inside with you." Embry had parked the car just a couple of houses from mine, so my parents wouldn't have noticed Embry driving me home and then just suddenly disappearing. Then it occurred to me.

"And how do you know where I live?" I said with an accusing tone. Embry didn't look straight at me, he was too embarrassed.

"It might be that I followed you here…" I tried to look mad, but I couldn't manage to keep up the expression. I knew I should feel disturbed because of it, but I actually thought it was kind of sweet.

"You don't think I'm a freak?" He asked surprised when the fake mad face had smoothed into a wide smile.

"Nah, I don't think there could be anything more freakish that the fact that my boyfriend is a werewolf." I said with a tender voice and glanced at Embry. He was smiling too. He seemed so glad about my casual use of the word boyfriend.

"You're probably right."

"I'm always right." Then he bent over me and kissed me like there was noting else in the world expect the two of us.

Boyfriend, the kiss, a werewolf, love… All those things were twirling in mind at the same time. Those things felt impossible, but still real. It was hard to adjust, but I was going to make it. I loved Embry, my werewolf boyfriend who could kiss me breathless. Pretty confusing, don't you think.

I didn't see my parents at all when I walked in. They asked questions, but I have no idea what they were about. I didn't care. I wanted to be near Embry. I wanted him beside me. Wolf or no wolf, this was the guy I would love forever. Maybe we didn't have forever, but we have a lifetime. I wasn't going to let go. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. My cell phone rang.

"Embry?"

"Yeah, it's me babe."

"Thank god. I missed you already."

"I missed you more." Embry, my love.

**A/N: So what do you think? Please review! Thanks to my beta, charmed-ireland (.net/u/501496/) **


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Twilight or the characters, Stephenie Meyer does. **

**A/N: Wow, this was a long chapter! And I had so much fun writing this, so I hope you enjoy. Superdani, thanks! It's so nice to hear that you enjoyed the same parts I did :) jazminadra, I absolutely love your great reviews ;) Eli kiitos vaan kovasti, ihan näin suomeksi :D SweetnSpoiledx93, thank you :) Of course she took it well, she's Vinnie :) intiMACYx33, thanks, it's so nice to hear that you're excited about Embry and Vinnie's relationship, I am too!**

Chapter 13 (Vinnie's POV)

The weekend was over and I had to go to school. Ugh. It was Monday for crying out loud! How was I ever going to handle the whole boring day without him? I knew the answer; I wasn't going to make it. Already I was debating with myself if I should call Embry. It was seven o'clock in the morning. I was so obsessed with him. I couldn't care less. I loved him. Are people supposed to be like this when they fall in love? I had no idea, but I kind of liked it. I loved the feeling in my stomach when he looked at me, smiled like I was the most beautiful person who had ever existed. Then there were his lips, pressed hard against mine. His scent blows my mind away. I hated corny stuff, but I loved it when Embry called me 'babe'. When his eyes bored into mine, I felt like drowning, they were so deep and full of emotions. I missed his hand in mine, his arm around my shoulders and the small kisses he pressed into my hair. Maybe he imagined that I didn't notice when he would deeply inhale the scent of my hair, but I noticed and I loved that too. I loved it when he laughed, so carefree. It was like he had offered his heart to me and I had finally reached for it. I was out of my mind, but I didn't care, I was in love. Embry didn't know. I didn't have the courage to tell him just yet. I'd never been a coward in my life, but now I was. But I had become brave too. It was so confusing to feel this way and still it wasn't. I loved being in love. This was what I had been waiting for all my life.

"Honey, did you forget that your dad is out of the house for two days?" Mom asked me when we were both sitting at the table eating breakfast. I looked up from my scrambled eggs. Oh right. I had totally forgotten all about that. Dad had told us he had some work thing and it was going to take two whole days. It had been something about ships… I had been so focused on Embry that I couldn't remember anything else. But who cared? Embry was all that mattered. Pretty selfish of me, but true.

"And I'm working late too. So when you get home from your soccer practice, I'm not going to be here. There's some food in the fridge that you can warm up in the microwave." Cool, I was going to get some alone time, not that I needed any. I was so angry because I had the soccer practice today. Without that, I would have seen Embry, laughed with him, kissed him… Mom was looking at me in a kind of funny way. I fixed my goofy simile into something more appropriate, but I don't think that I fooled her.

"Okay Mom, thanks. You really shouldn't have made me food; I'm perfectly capable of fixing my own dinner." Mom raised her eyebrows. Okay, maybe I had burned noodles a couple of times.

"I know dear. I'll see you around nine. Have a nice day at school." She wished and left me with my eggs at the kitchen table. Nice day, yeah right. Like anything would be nice without him. But I just had to deal with it. We lived in different towns and we both had lives. I should get used to not being able to see him. The truth was that I didn't want to get used to. I just wanted to be with him, never without. I sighed and stuffed the rest of the eggs into my mouth. I was already running a bit late. I didn't want to get detention for being late.

"What's up Pooh?" Julie asked using my embarrassing nickname she had re-discovered after Quil calling me Winnie the Pooh. I had hated it while I was growing up and I hated it still, now all grown up. Julie was walking casually next to me but she still kept shooting glances at me. I rolled my eyes, hoping that Julie didn't catch that. I totally knew what she was up to. It was time for Vinnie to reveal all her secrets. I was so going to talk about everything expect about Embry and his friends being, you know, werewolves. The word still didn't come out naturally. I was a bit freaked out because of it, but I was settling. Some day I wasn't even going to notice it when he turned into a giant grey wolf right in front of me. Although it wasn't going to happen in the near future. Embry being a werewolf was fine by me, but I didn't really understand it. Only time would help, and maybe a couple of hundred questions more.

"Nothing, _Julie."_ I said with a bitter voice, still upset about the name. Julie just laughed and muttered something about me being too sensitive. I snorted and shook my head. I had great friends…

"But really Vinnie, tell me what's wrong. You look upset and a bit sad." I flashed her a huge smile, showing that I wasn't sad. She didn't buy it. She shot me a meaningful look.

"It just that I'm not going to see Embry today." I murmured and walked into the classroom. Julie sat next to me, with a wondering look in her eyes.

"So, he's your boyfriend, isn't he?" Julie asked and I nodded. She shrieked and pulled me into a hug. Julie just watched me for a while. And I wanted to tell her, I wanted so bad to talk about this. I was too afraid to mention anything to Embry, but I needed to get to say it out loud, I needed to make it real by saying it. I swallowed and Julie smiled a little.

"Whatever it is Vinnie, you know you can tell me. I'm not going to tell anyone." She reassured and I snorted.

"Anyone expect Russell." She allowed and waited me to talk. I took a deep breath. This was it, I couldn't ever deny this after saying it out loud. I had to do it.

"I think I'm in love with him." I chocked out and watched Julie's reaction with wide eyes. Her lips merged into a sweet and happy smile.

"I would love to say I told you so." She said and stroked my hair. I frowned and then Julie's ominous words came back to me. _I have this hunch, and the way I saw him looking at you… It was like he was already in love with you Vinnie. And I know you're not far from that either._

Yeah, she had known it. Freaky. I was so surprised that she'd been able to see that. I had thought that I liked him a lot, but loved… Love had been a totally different thing, but I felt that. I knew I couldn't live without him; I wouldn't want the world if he didn't exist. It all had changed so dramatically in such a short time, but it felt natural to me. Loving him felt right, it felt like I was made for him.

"Yeah, you told me so. How could you know?" I asked a bit confused.

"It was in his eyes Vinnie. I knew that those weren't the normal feeling an eighteen years old would feel. It was just so deep, like he wouldn't want to live without you. It was so intense that it kind of freaked me out. But then it occurred to me. Vinnie, you would never fall for ordinary, you needed more. You need him, to keep you in balance. No one else would ever be able to keep up with you. You're one of a kind and so is he. You're meant to be." Julie finished her speech. I looked at her in awe. Since when had Julie been this touchy-feely girl? It never happened. Julie loved to have fun. Words like _meant to be _just didn't belong to Julie's vocabulary. She didn't believe in love at first sight, but neither did I. But after this experience, falling in love with Embry, I thought it was time to re-think my point of view. Still, Julie was different; she had dedicated her life for having fun. She didn't think gloomy things. She just enjoyed her life. I remembered one time when our former class mate Ria claimed that she had fell in love with some guy when she had laid her eyes on him for the first time. Julie had laughed so much that tears had started running down her cheeks. She had thought it was hilarious. When I thought of Ria and that guy now, I recalled seeing them together, kissing. Huh, Julie had been wrong, saying that they wouldn't last a week. Well, Julie wasn't exactly a psychic.

I turned to gaze at my best friend. Something must've gone terribly out of balance. Something was bothering her. She never talked like this. And she wasn't this sweet normally. At times I caught her staring into space. She was thinking, or probably dreaming. Hmm…

"Are you keeping a secret from me?" I practically accused her. Julie didn't look at me, just kept staring at her notebook. She wasn't even writing, good try.

"So?" I rushed her. She sighed deeply and the lied straight to my face!

"Of course I'm not. You know I can never keep a secret from you and Russ." She mumbled. She was insulting my intelligence. I always told her everything! Well expect about the werewolves, but that wasn't my secret to tell. Something was up with Julie and felt a bit offended that she wasn't sharing it with me.

"Oh, please! Like you could fool me Julie, I've practically known you since birth. You're lying." Julie looked awkward, fidgeting in her seat.

"It's nothing Vinnie, just let it go okay?" She said with a harsh voice, telling me to back off. I leaned back. What was up with Julie? Sudden sadness hit me. This was the first time Julie had spoke to me like that, well she had, but she had never meant it. Julie's words hurt me. I didn't say anything back to her. I just turned back to my notebook and finally started taking notes. I was so going to fail this class…

Julie wasn't talking to me and I wasn't talking to Julie. My nosiness had somehow offended Julie and her angry response had made me feel mad at her. Russell kept glancing at the two of us during the whole lunch break. I tried to keep up the conversation with him. Julie wasn't talking to me or Russell. I found her behavior odd. The rare times Julie and I had had an argument, she had always still talked to Russell. Well actually she had been complaining about me right under my nose. We had always been acting like another one didn't exist. Now she just stuffed the lasagna into her mouth and sat in silence. It was hard, harder than usual to be mad at Julie. I actually just wanted to know what was wrong with her. I wanted to help. I knew I had neglected being with them because of Embry. But they had assured me that it didn't bother them. They just had told me to enjoy and not to worry because of them.

Luckily I had the next class with Russell. Julie wasn't in our class so I took advantaged of that. It was time to give Russell a third-degree. At first we walked in silence and Russell looked suspicious.

"So Russell…" I trailed off, trying to find the right words.

"So, what Vinnie?" Russell asked and lifted his brows. I sighed.

"Have you noticed anything different about Julie lately?" I asked trying to sound innocent. If Julie had told her secret to Russell, I didn't want to get caught by interrogating Russell about it.

"You finally noticed, huh?" Russell said with a bit of sarcastic voice. It was my time to lift my brows.

"What do you mean? Has she been like that before today?" I asked with a bit of confusion in my voice. Russell nodded. His face was sad.

"It's just that for the last two days, Julie hadn't kept any contact to me. On Sunday, when I called her to see if she wanted to catch a movie with me, she just simply refused and hung up on me. She's been avoiding me and I can't figure out why." Russell looked completely devastated. I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Why hadn't I noticed?" I whispered and Russell gave me a weak smile.

"You have been with Embry so often. And she's been quite normal with you. What did you do today, that she acted like that?" Now I felt guilty. I had spent so much time with my boyfriend that I hadn't noticed when my best friend had a problem. What kind of a friend was I?

"I asked her what was wrong and she told me nothing. When I didn't let it go, she snapped at me. Since then we haven't spoken." I muttered still being downhearted because of my lack of attention.

"Hmm… You really should try to get it out of her. She hasn't talked to me properly in days. I have no idea what I've done." Russell seemed so sad. He was missing his best friend. Somehow I had always thought that Russell liked Julie better than me. But I was never offended by that, it was just how things were.

"Okay, I promise to talk to her… tomorrow. I think it's better to wait until she's calmed down a bit." I mused aloud. Russell laughed a little.

"Yeah, I totally agree with you. She can be quite feisty when she's angry." We both laughed at his remark and entered the classroom.

The rest of the day was silent. Julie hadn't calmed down yet, not that I expected her to. I literally sighed with relief when the final bell rang. I said hasty goodbyes to Russell and then ran to the girl's locker room. A couple of girls from my soccer team were already sitting in there changing clothes. I greeted them and then took my regular spot, the furthest corner of the room. The girls on my team were okay, some even nice, but I had never made friends with them. They thought I was a great offensive player. And that's it. They didn't mock me and I didn't mock them. I liked playing soccer, not having some kind forced girl talk with them, no way.

I quickly changed into shorts and a training t-shirt. The shirt was yellow and the shorts were blue, the colors of our school.

When everyone had arrived and coach was there we started. Today it was just warming up and then a short game after that. We were having some ball handling exercise at first and then to my favorite part; playing. I lived for this, this was my thing. When I started with this sport, I was six years old. I wanted to be a defenseman. After a couple of practices my coach at that time had told me that I was too aggressive. After that the only thing I had ever wanted to do was make goals. God I loved the running and the feeling when we won. I had been raised to be competitive. I guess it was unavoidable. Since I had two brothers and like thousands of cousins who always wanted to beat me. I hadn't allowed it then and I wasn't allowing it today, not even when I played against some people in my own team. I cared about winning. That's why I played.

I had been so caught up with the game that I didn't notice when everybody stopped playing. I was still running with the ball, approaching the goal. The goal keeper, Sammy, didn't even look at me. She was just standing there, staring something behind me. I didn't mind that, a goal was a goal even when the goal keeper wasn't paying any attention. I kicked the ball hard. It sunk into the net behind Sammy. I put my hands in the air and cheered.

Tracy had moved next to Sammy. They both stared something behind me. Then Tracy opened her mouth.

"Wow. He's so hot. I wonder if he has a girlfriend."

"I bet he has. No guy looking like that is single." Sammy said, sounding a bit sad. I had to turn around to see what the hell they were talking about. Well the proper question would be who. I think I gasped when I turned around. I just wasn't prepared for what I saw. I just hadn't expected this. Well, maybe I just should answer Tracy's question…

"Embry?" I cried. There he was, standing by the fence. He was smiling, staring at me. He was breathtakingly handsome. He was there, just for me. I would never get use to this. My boyfriend. Wow.

"Vinnie!" He replied. I started running towards him. I needed to touch him. I longed for his touch - his lips against mine.

"Maybe she's his cousin?" Someone wondered. Yeah right. I'll show her cousins…

It didn't take me many steps to reach him. For a while I just stood there, staring into his deep brown eyes. He was so warm, I could feel the heat radiating from his body. I wanted to touch him, but I restrained myself.

"You're late." I said with a soft voice, observing the emotions on his face. He was happy. Maybe almost as happy as I was. He laughed a little and flashed a wide smile at me.

"I didn't think we agreed on anything." Then he looked puzzled, he was thinking hard. Maybe he thought that he had forgotten all about our meeting.

"We didn't." I informed him and took one step closer to him. I was standing just a foot away from him. The urge to touch him got stronger.

"Then why…?" Embry began but I put my finger against his lips.

"Shh… Just be quiet okay?" I asked and he nodded. I moved my hands in his neck and pressed my body against him. I didn't care that I was a bit sweaty. Actually I had forgotten all about that. Embry's presence just made me forget everything. Embry saw what I was looking for and gave it to me. He leaned closer to me, pressing his lips against mine, hard. Ahh… My mouth was suddenly hot. Embry's warm tongue traced my lower lip and I opened my mouth, eager.

"Shoot. Vinnie so isn't his cousin." I hear someone say. I didn't hear anything else, because I was so caught up with the kiss. Embry's hands were on my lower back and then a bit lower… My hands were on his hair, yanking it hard. Embry's arms roamed around my body and I let out an involuntary moan. I totally was loosing the control of my own body. It just wanted more and more. Luckily Embry's self control wasn't any better than mine. His body felt so good against mine. Too soon I had to pull away – I was running out of oxygen.

"Well that was…" Embry started.

"…The best kiss ever." I finished. He nodded and placed one kiss against my throat.

"I have to agree with you." He stated, still holding my body tightly against his. I traced down my throat, planting little kisses along the way.

"You never disagree with me." I noted. Embry snorted.

"Yeah, guess I don't." He smiled. And I laughed. But it stopped shortly.

"What's wrong Vinnie?" Embry asked, his voice was suddenly worried. He examined my face closely.

"I'm disgusting, all sweaty." I claimed. Somehow this brought a wide smile on Embry's face. He leaned closer to my ear.

"You're not disgusting, babe. You're incredibly hot." He whispered into my ear with a low voice which made me giggle. Giggle? Me? Embry was so making me crazy… But who cared, I didn't.

"Whatever Embry, I need to shower." I muttered. He laughed.

"Want me to come with you?" He said with a suggestive tone. I hit him in the shoulder and laughed.

"My team mates would just love that!" Embry raised his brows.

"And you?" I reached onto my tiptoes and breathed into Embry's ear.

"Well, let's just say, that I kind of enjoyed your striptease show on Saturday." Then I walked away, leaving Embry there. He was just standing there, looking amazed. I laughed and walked into the locker room.

I rumbled into the locker room. No one turned to watch me, they just kept talking. They were whispering, but I could still hear their words clearly. I walked into my corner and started undressing myself.

"Since when has Vinnie dated?" I heard Hailey's voice.

"That's so not fair!" Michelle whined.

"I know! That guy is so hot!" Tracy accompanied.

"Vinnie so doesn't deserve him!" It was Sammy. Well I had to agree with her… I stepped into the shower. The voices drowned under the wash of the running water. All the girls were jealous of me! How funny… Nobody ever noticed me enough to be jealous. It was kind of a good feeling. Finally I had something that they couldn't get. Embry was mine. It was unbelievable. And sometimes I felt that I didn't deserve him. He was too good, too loving. I sighed and turned off the water. The other girls still hadn't undressed themselves. They were just gossiping. I snorted and started getting dressed.

"Did you see that kiss?" Haley asked and the others were nodding.

"I wonder what that would feel…" Georgia wondered. I swung my book bag onto my shoulder and started walking away. When I passed the girls I suddenly stopped. I turned to look at them and then smiled widely.

"You know what Georgia? It feels fucking awesome! Embry kisses a thousand times better that your Dennis." Their jaws literally dropped. I turned around at the door.

"See you next week!" I sang and stepped out of the door. They so were going to gossip about this for the whole week…

"Babe, you look even hotter." Embry stated, pointing at my wet hair. I smirked and kissed his lips lightly.

"No need to flatter me." I said and took his hand in mine. The parking lot was empty expect the cars of the girls in my soccer team. I frowned.

"Where's your car? Isn't it a little bit suspicious that you didn't bring a car? Everyone knows you don't live around here."

"Calm down. I left it in your drive way." He said coolly. I looked at him angrily.

"You better thank god that my Mom's working late and that my Dad's away for two days!" I almost shouted. Embry showed his palms, surrendering.

"I heard there was no one there." He defended himself. I shoved Embry with my forefinger.

"My Mom could have come home any minute! Hey, what do you mean you _heard_?" I asked puzzled. Embry looked quite uneasy, not sure if he wanted to share his thoughts with me.

"Well, I kind of have 'super hearing', you know." He admitted. Oh. Okay, I could handle this, I had to. I was technically okay with it, but still…

"A werewolf thing?" I questioned and Embry nodded observing my impressions. I gave nothing away, just smiled and lead him to my car. He opened the passenger side door for me and I climbed in. He just somehow automatically took the wheel. The feminist buried somewhere deep down inside me protested but I muted her. The girly side in me liked been treated like this. Embry was always so thoughtful and chivalrous. No woman could ever deny that she didn't enjoy been treated like a queen.

"So your parents aren't home yet?" Embry questioned when he started the engine.

"No, Mom's working till eight thirty and Dad's gone for two days, like I already told you." I repeated sarcastically but smiled genuinely to him. He smiled back and moved his hand onto my thigh. I could feel the chills running down to my spine. For some unknown reason a sudden urge to kiss him occurred to me.

"Would you like to show me your place?" He asked, staring deeply into my eyes with such intensity that I couldn't even think saying no.

"Vinnie?" He questioned when I had been silent for a while.

"Yeah, I guess you can come. We hadn't been cleaning up for a while thou…" I thought about my untidy room. Maybe I should give him food and then clear it up… Embry laughed heartily and kissed my cheek. Ah, how I loved that when he kissed and touched me so casually. I noted his every move and it felt heavenly.

"Great! I have been dying to see your room!" I definitely had to clear it up…

"So you didn't see it when you were spying on me?" I asked, trying to sound sarcastic. I failed and Embry laughed.

"Actually no. I could have climbed up; the fire ladder would be useful." He wondered and I punched him on the shoulder.

"What, you don't like the idea?" He asked and I laughed. Yeah, like I would ever say no to Embry.

"Just make sure my father doesn't catch you!"

The house was a bit untidy. All the news papers for last week were lying down on the kitchen table. I put them into a pile and turned to look at Embry. He was examining the photos of me and my brothers. Mom hadn't found any other place for them except the fridge door.

"You're so cute! How old are you in this?" He asked, his eyes still locked into the photo.

"I'm thirteen, first time I saw the Grand Canyon. Dillon is fourteen and Stephan sixteen. He was pouting all the time. I guess he was too old for a family trip." I said, pointing out my brothers.

"How about this?" He asked pointing a newer picture.

"That's from last summer. Actually from my birthday. Those are my cousins Liam and Jordan. We are at my Uncle Richard's place." Yeah, a lot have happened on that day. Maybe I would return to that day later…

"It's really homey in here." Embry stated, looking around the kitchen. I smiled at him and then remembered my room.

"You want something to eat? I bet you didn't stop to eat along the way." He uttered laughter and I went by the fridge. Thank god Mom had left food enough for like five people. She had never gotten use to it that my brothers weren't actually living here during school year. I took a clean plate from the dishwasher and put a good amount of stroganoff onto it. Then I pushed it to the microwave and set the time.

"There're forks and knives in that drawer. I just have to go up and do one thing. Just eat when the food is warm." I caught a glimpse of Embry's puzzled face and then made my run.

I quickly picked up my clothes from the floor and stuffed them into laundry basket. Then I cleaned my desk a bit. Lastly I made my bed. Yeah, it was presentable now; I decided and run back down stairs.

There he was sitting in Dad's usual place and stuffing Mom's stroganoff into his mouth. I had to smile. He was looking so good. It was still hard to realize that he was my boyfriend. I never wanted to let go of him. Embry lifted his eyes from the plate and smiled at me widely, with some tenderness in his brown eyes. Just then I noticed the other plate next to his. He padded the chair next to him.

"Come. Eat." He ordered and pulled the chair back. Was this really happening? This perfect guy next to me, smiling at me, fixing me dinner? It was like I was dreaming; it was too good to be true. And yet, this was happening, for real. I took the seat, smiling.

"You're too good for me." I said my thoughts aloud. Embry shook his head.

"No way, you're worth so much more." He whispered and stroked my cheek. "_You _deserve better than me. I'm not a normal guy Vinnie, for god's sake! You deserve normality." He was suddenly so intense. Why he was talking like that? Suddenly I wanted to say it to him, to admit that I loved him. I was a coward, again.

"Embry, if you have noticed, I'm not that normal. Actually Julie said today something like '_Vinnie, you would never fall for ordinary, you needed more.'" _Embry frowned, but smiled.

"What do mean by _fall for_?" He questioned. This would have been the perfect time to say it, but no.

"You know Embry, I've never liked any one this much. There's something weird about this, but I can't complain. This feels so deep, what we have. I don't know how you see this, I can say that there's something more in this. Just say if you think I'm crazy." I said, wondering what had made me say things like that.

Out of the blue, Embry's voice was too close to mine. I couldn't restrain myself, not that I even wanted. I crushed my lips into his. The kiss was long and passionate. Embry's lips tasted so sweet and I inhaled his sent. Everything about him was perfect. His lips were shaped perfectly with mine, like I was made for him.

It was me again, breaking the sweet kiss. Stupid lungs-it would be so much easier if I didn't have to breathe. Apparently Embry had better lung capacity.

Embry held me against him while I was gasping for air. Embry bent down and moved my hair away. He pressed his lips to my neck and sucked the skin softly. I moaned, surprised but pleased. He chuckled against my skin.

"You're not crazy. And I know there's something more to this." I was about to ask him what he meant, but he silenced me with a kiss. I forgot everything. Perfect, that was the only word in my mind.

Embry and I were lying on my bed. I had put my head on his chest and stared at the ceiling. Embry was running his fingers through my hair. We had been quite silent for the whole day, just touching and kissing. Embry had wanted to get to know my home better and I had given him a brief tour. Too soon it was eight thirty already. I hated letting him go. I wanted to keep him here, lying in my bed.

"You're so beautiful." He whispered. I just smiled, feeling his words hit me hard. I wasn't used to this; I thought it was corny and belonged in movies. Maybe it was love, I don't know, but suddenly I had started enjoying it. And it was kind of unavoidable. Embry loved complimenting me. I was flattered. I sighed.

"Embry, my Mom will be home in thirty minutes." I said.

"You don't want me to meet her?" He asked. I didn't know what to say. I wasn't sure if I wanted them to meet or not.

"It's not that. I'm just new at this." I muttered. I looked at Embry. He was wincing.

"What?" He put his hands around my waist and lifted me up. I pouted; he wasn't touching me any more. I felt empty somehow. I longed for his touch. He guessed what I needed and took my hand. Then he answered to my question.

"Well, you may have to introduce me to your mother." Then the key turned in the lock. Crap.

"Vinnie?" Mom shouted. Oh shit. What was I going to do? I panicked. Embry slide his hands to my waist and pulled me against his body. He set his chin on my head. This calmed me down a bit.

"Whose car is in our driveway?" Mom continued. It was time to go to downstairs. I swallowed.

"I'm sorry, baby." He whispered, took my hand and led me to the stairs. I was totally paralyzed. The horrible thoughts had filled my mind. Thankfully Embry managed to get to the bottom of the stairs.

When we reached the bottom, I could hear Mom gasp. Nice. This was going to be a nightmare.

"Hi Mom." I muttered.

"Hello Mrs. Hughes. I'm Embry Call, Vinnie's boyfriend. It's a pleasure to meet you." He said formally and shook hands with my Mom.

"Calla Hughes, Vinnie's mother." She introduced herself. I was ready to face Mom. When I lifted my gaze, I saw she was smiling. Smiling? What had gone wrong? I thought she was supposed to be angry that I had been home _alone _with my _boyfriend. _

"You have a beautiful name Mrs. Hughes." Embry flattered her. And she was impressed. Mom was just staring at him, with a foolish smile on her face. Great, even my Mom was impressed by Embry's looks.

"Thank you Embry. Its Vinnie middle name too. And please, call me Calla. No need to be so formal." Embry nodded and then glanced at me quickly.

"Winona Calla Hughes." He stated. I rolled my eyes and Mom laughed.

"Yes. I guess the name never fitted her that well. She has never tolerated being called Winona. She's always been Vinnie." Mom said and I was kind of embarrassed. But still, this was better than an angry Mom. Embry laughed. I rolled my eyes. Embry was trying to act like a perfect son-in-law. I couldn't deny that my mother didn't want him to be that to her. She _loved_ weddings. I snorted. Like I was going to get married anytime soon. And I would never ever wear a long white gown. Nah huh. Not going to happen.

"I'm really sorry, but I should get going. My mother's going to be really worried if I don't hit the road now." He excused himself. I threw a long look at him. He smiled, but didn't look too happy either. He raised his hand and stroked my cheek. Mom cleared her throat. We jumped apart.

"Yes, you should get going then. It was a pleasure to meet you." Mom said goodbye and then disappeared into the kitchen, giving us some privacy. Since when had Mom been that tactful?

"I'll see you as soon as I can Vinnie." He promised and pulled me against his chest.

"Very soon." He bent to kiss me. We both jumped when something fell on the floor in the kitchen.

"Oh, shoot!" Mom grumbled. Embry chuckled and pressed his lips into mine for the one last time.

"I'll miss you every second, babe."

"I'll miss you more." I love you. But I didn't say it, again.

"So, your _boyfriend_ seems very polite." Mom started. I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Mom, just let it go." She pretended not to hear and went on.

"And so good-looking. He's very big too. How old you did you say he is?"

"Eighteen. Just like me."

"He seems older. Have you kissed?" Gosh!!!

"Mom! That's private!" I cried.

"Aha! So you have!"

"I'm going to bed."

"Vinnie!" Peace and quite, that's what I needed. And maybe a quick phone call to Embry… I was so addicted.

**A/N: Aww3 Personally I just can't get enough of Embry. How about you? Did you enjoy the scene at the soccer practice? I would be so glad if you all reviewed :) Thanks for the best beta ever, charmed-ireland (.net/u/501496/)**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I'm so sorry! I hope you all haven't forgotten my story! But I have had some trouble with time. My beta can be my beta anymore, so I've been trying to find a new one, but I haven't been so lucky. So please let me know if you know someone who would like to beta this story!**

**Okay, to this chapter. I really hope you like it, since it is a VERY intportant chapter in Embry and Vinnie's lives. It's a bit fluffy, but who wouldn't love fluff, right? :)Please review to this chapter and tell me if it was any good.**

**I recieved total 6 reviews for the chapter 13 so thank you so much you guys!  
Superdani, I'm happy you liked Vinnie's name and the other stuff. They were my favorite too :) Thanks SweetnSpoiledx93, intiMACYx33, Gryffindor Gurl2 and Mysterystar of DawnPack. Jazminadra, ei haittaa vaikka välillä tulee suomea, mä ymmärrän ja se on pääasia. So thank you too :)**

**Disclaimer: Meyer owns it all... unfortunately. **

Chapter 14 (Embry's POV)

I emerged on the edge of the woods. Three tall guys were standing on the edge off the cliff. They had their backs turned to me but I knew they heard me coming, despite the rush of the ocean. The scent of salt water was heavy in the air. It had been a long time I had been near the ocean. I had been spending so much time with Vinnie. I didn't regret it however, not at all. The past week with Vinnie as my girlfriend had been the best. I couldn't even imagine how I had spent all my free time before. This was just so natural, to drive to Port Angeles and keep Vinnie company. And a bit more actually. Our relationship had become more physical. Touching hadn't ever been the problem between us, but I think we had both become more forward. It was so weird to feel this way, desire, lust, passion. These were all weird feelings for me to feel. The way I didn't want to let her go and the fact that I didn't want to stop kissing her. I actually wanted more. I knew there was nothing to be ashamed of, but I was still embarrassed. Vinnie was so sweet, not quite innocent but still. In fact she had been eager to continue. It had been too little time and we weren't ready. We hadn't spoken of it, but we had made an unspoken promise. I had to stop thinking about all this. It was driving me crazy. I didn't like the day away from Vinnie, but maybe it would help me to clear my thoughts. Vinnie didn't want to quit her job. She didn't need it, but she still wanted to do it. I had no idea why, she hated it and she kind of sucked in it. She was rude to customers and she hated serving them. I knew Vinnie's father was going to pay her college studies. He even gave her an allowance, for god's sake. I visited her often; I just didn't want to be apart from her. Well I wasn't an expert on female mind, so I really shouldn't bother my head with it.

"Hey man, it's nice to see you. Long time no see." Quil grinned. He was standing near me. His body was soaking wet. They had made their first jump already.

"You already saw me in school today." I pointed out with a dull voice. Maybe I had been a bit dull to hang around. When I wasn't with Vinnie, I always thought about her. And when I thought about her, I couldn't do anything else. Yeah, I was obsessed.

"I know, but you didn't seem to _be _there. It was like you were a living corpse or something." He joked.

"It's been a long time since you've hung around with us after school, Embry. Emily's been quite sad because she hasn't seen you in a week." That was Seth, the already-a-new-crush-guy. I hadn't had time to talk to him about that. Maybe I should bull him a bit about that. I sighed and felt guilty. It was true, I had been failing to meet my brothers and sisters.

"I'll come by today." I muttered quietly, staring at my feet. Seth slammed my back and I saw him grinning.

"Don't feel so bad about it, Emily totally understands you man. It's more about…" He trailed of and looked quite uneasy. Jake snorted loudly.

"What's going on?" I asked puzzled. I had been missing a couple of patrols and I had no idea what was going on.

"It's Leah man. She has something against Vinnie. I hadn't been quite able to figure it out, she's so good at blocking her thoughts now a days. But I can totally feel the irritation and something about Vinnie mixed up together." Jacob explained. I furrowed my brows and let out an involuntary growl.

"What's up with you Clearwater's? Have you decided together to irritated me as much as you can? First you Seth, and then your arrogant sister!" I shouted and motioned wildly with my hands. Jake put his hand on my shoulder and asked me to calm down. Seth was apologetic and looked kind of sad. That kid totally was too good hearted. He never thought of himself first. Sometimes I wondered how unselfish could a guy be. At times it annoyed me.

"Let me explain Embry. It was just a crush I had on Vinnie. It's all gone now, and you can give me all the crap you want about it." He promised and prepared himself to be insulted. I had calmed down already and I was fine with it. As long as it didn't include Vinnie being the target of his admiration it was okay. Vinnie was all that mattered to me.

"So, mister I-got-a-crush, tell me, who's this 'new girl'" I asked, referring to the new crush Jake had mentioned. I smirked at him evilly. He wasn't ashamed like I had hoped he would. I guess he already had gotten all the mocking about this.

"It's Carly, a junior in Fork's high." He said with a goofy smile in his face. Not as goofy as mine or Jake's or any other guy's who had imprinted. If I had been a girl I would have said aw. But I wasn't so I didn't – I concentrated on Leah.

"Okay, cool for you, man." I tout him. "But what the hell is wrong with Leah?" I asked, irritated again. Jake frowned and thought.

"I think she may feel intimidated." He wondered aloud. All the three of use frowned. That wasn't Leah, she was brave, she never was afraid. She was stupidly brave actually. She did everything we dared her to do. Jacob saw our amazement and explained.

"She noticed that Vinnie is very much a like her. They share the same personality and same interests. I think she's afraid of loosing her place in our family. You know, all the other girls have been girly, so they're no threat to her. But then Vinnie came, she's a tomboy, sporty and yet beautiful funny and sarcastic. She has always counted on you Embry, to be alone with her. It was a tough position for her when you imprinted. You were the last one of us "older" guy's who haven't been imprinted. Now she feels alone." Wow. How good was Jake at reading Leah? Who would've guessed? Leah was a human too! Hah-hah. Not funny, I know.

"I think you should talk to her, man. I think she and Vinnie would be great friends." Quil suggested. I lifted my brows.

"And how should I do that? I don't even know how to talk to her!"

"Just talk to her like you do to Vinnie!" Seth proposed. The three of us grinned.

"I don't think you want him to say 'God baby, you're so hot', to your sister, man." Jake said. Yeah, maybe I shouldn't have phased right after that one. Jake had disappeared pretty quickly.

"Okay, I don't. But she needs you to reassure her. You can do it."

"I can do everything!" I shot a cocky smile to them. They all laughed hysterically.

"Vinnie may buy that, but we don't!" Quil howled. I rolled my eyes. Even Vinnie didn't buy that. Actually she was the last person who would. She saw right through me.

"Okay, I'll talk to her next time I see her." I promised. I didn't think that it would help her, but I was going to give it a shot.

"Are we going to do some cliff diving or not?" I asked and then threw myself over the edge. Adrenaline started rushing through my veins. I had missed this feeling, a lot. It wasn't as good as kissing Vinnie, but it was the second best pleasure.

We were all soaking wet when we were walking to Emily's. We had no shoes on, just our swimming shorts. This had turned out to be a good day after all. I missed Vinnie, a lot. It hurt when I wasn't near her. But I had been able to enjoy myself today. And going to see Emily was making me feel better. Now that my brothers had mentioned Emily being sad because I hadn't visited, I had started feeling guilty. I was going to make good use of this Vinnie-less day. I didn't want it to be Vinnie-less, but I kind of had no other choice. She was working and I had school tomorrow. Those were her excuses, not mine. If I would have decided, I would be there right now. But she insisted that I had to have a life outside of her. When I was with her I didn't miss my life. But now when I was with my brothers again I had to admit that I enjoyed it and I had missed it.

"You better dry yourselves before you go in. Emily will be mad if you drop the water onto the floor." Sam stated. He was sitting on the porch.

"Go get some towels to us then!" Quil said and shook his hair like a dog. Sam rolled his eyes to him and murmured something about spoiled kids. We weren't that much younger, like five years. We waited for a while and then we heard Emily rushing around the house. A moment later she appeared on the porch. She was looking very happy.

"Oh Embry!" She pronounced and threw her hands around me.

"Why aren't we getting that kind of a welcome?" Seth protested playfully. Emily let me go and took a step back.

"Because, it's Embry I haven't seen in a week."

"And because your hormones are going wild." Sam murmured, but not low enough. Emily turned to look at him. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears. All of us watched her in horror. Why the hell was Emily acting like this? She was freaking me out.

"Why did you say that? Do you want to hurt me Sam? Don't you love me?" She cried and Sam rushed to comfort her. He put his arms around Emily and she just kept crying against his shirt. We all mouthed 'what the hell??' to him but he shook his head.

"Of course I love you Emily. And I didn't mean that. I would never ever hurt you on purpose. I'm so sorry. Will you forgive me?" Sam pleaded, looking so out of place. Now I knew what he felt. He was sad and hurt because he had hurt Emily. Emily sobbed against his chest but nodded. After a while she dried her eyes and let go of Sam. She smiled a little to us.

"I'm sorry about that, you shouldn't have seen that. I'll be in the kitchen." She excused herself and left us staring after her.

"What the hell Sam?" I asked, this time low enough to Emily not to hear. He shook his head.

"It's the pregnancy." He said with an exhausted voice. Oh right, the pregnancy. I had almost forgotten all about that.

"What about it?" Quil asked, scratching his head.

"Duh Quil! Are you stupid or what?" Seth said and slapped the back of his head.

"Ouch! What did I say?" He asked rubbing the sore spot and shooting angry glances at Seth.

"Pregnant women go through a massive hormonal change." Seth said slowly, like he was talking to a kindergartener.

"How am I supposed to know that?" Quil asked sounding a bit sulky voice.

"They teach you that in biology." Quil rolled his eyes.

"I wasn't paying too much attention on that day." He confessed. Jake laughed and then joined the conversation.

"Maybe you should have. Quil, do you know where babies come from? When mommy and daddy love each other very much…" He was cut short because of the fist that was moving towards him. Jake was faster than Quil and so he missed Jakes nose.

"Okay guys, what if we just move inside and enjoy Emily's famous muffins. What do you say?" Sam suggested and we raced to the kitchen.

I stuffed like eight muffins down my throat. But man they were good. Emily acted like her emotional brake down didn't happen. And we all were pretty happy about that. None of use were used to dealing with overly sensitive women. Pregnancy and all that stuff was weird for us, and we were feeling a bit awkward when Emily sometimes talked about it. Thankfully the conversation took a lighter course.

"Wasn't it Nessie's birthday last week?" Emily asked Jake when she was washing the dishes by the sink.

"Yeah, it was. You should have seen all the gifts the Cullen's got for her." He laughed. Emily pouted her lips. Here we go again…

"I haven't seen her in a while…" Emily trailed of and made her voice sound sad. Jake was fidgeting in his seat. He knew as well as I did that Emily didn't use that tone for fun.

"I bet she's grown so much. I would love to see her again. I wonder if she even remembers me." Emily sighed and continued washing the plates. Jake sighed too. He was giving up. It didn't take long. I was rather surprised. Usually it was a bit harder to get Jacob to do what you wanted. But then again, maybe he was afraid that Emily would have another brake down. So maybe he was just being smart after all.

"Okay Emily. I'll bring her in someday. I'll ask the Cullen's." He said and stood up.

"Where are you going Jacob?" Emily asked with a clear voice.

"To ask the Cullen's…" He said and stormed out of the house.

"Excellent!" Emily said under her breath. I rolled my eyes. For such a sweet woman, she knew an awful lot about bending people to her will.

"Embry, you're driving me crazy!" Seth shouted and switched off the TV. I was pacing behind the couch. It was about eight o'clock and all I could think was that Vinnie's shift was over. We were at Seth's place. After Quil had gone to see Claire, we had decided that we shouldn't bother Sam and Emily anymore. Of course Emily had protested but I knew they needed alone time. The house was full of werewolves every day. And I knew how reckless I become when I'm not alone with Vinnie as much as I would like to.

"What?" I questioned him.

"You're all gloomy and dark all over again!" He explained. I sat down, but it didn't feel good. I wanted to be on the run. I didn't want to sit down. I wanted Vinnie by my side.

"So, what do you want me to do Seth? It's not like I can just stop acting like this, you should know that!" I exclaimed with a frustration in my voice. Seth pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes.

"Don't be stupid Embry, you're an adult, go see your girlfriend for god's sake." He muttered and jumped off the couch. He just started walking towards the front door and I followed.

"I can't just go there, what would her parents think if I suddenly appeared on their doorsteps? I don't think that they would appreciate that." Seth opened the door and held it. I looked at him with a puzzled face.

"It's time to get creative, Embry." He said and suddenly pushed me out off the door. I was totally taken by surprise and I almost fell. I hear the door slammed close behind me. That kid got some nerves… I stared cursing Seth to the lowest hell, but then I saw it.

All of a sudden, I could imagine Vinnie's house. There was something that was going to make my plan to work. And so I took of my pants and bound them with the strap on my ankle. The darkness swallowed me quickly.

Yeah, fire ladders, the best invention ever. Maybe I should thank Vinnie's dad for installing them. Or maybe not, he would probably get suspicious. It was too dark to anyone to notice me stalking in the yard. From the edge of the forest I could see the light coming from Vinnie's bedroom. I started to get more excited. I had to thank Seth later. Well, if Vinnie wasn't going to kick me out, I mean. Knowing her, that was very likely to happen. You never knew what was going on that girls head. But I didn't complain. God I loved her more than anything in the whole wide world.

I snuck through the lawn to the ladder. I could hear Vinnie's voice. She was talking, but I couldn't hear anyone answering. She must've been talking on the phone, I figured. I considered being polite and staying down until she finished, but I was way too eager to see her again. So I grabbed the ladder and started climbing up fast. Vinnie's voice got louder by every step. It was sheer torture to climb up, but it so was worth it.

There she was, lying on her bed on her stomach. Her head was towards the door, so she couldn't see me. Her legs were crossed in the air and it took every bit of self-control I had just not to jump on her. She looked so sexy. I pinched myself just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Ouch. I wasn't. Vinnie was wearing a loose t-shirt and some shorts. They were boy's shorts, just like the pair I had seen her using in her soccer practice. She had tied her hair up in a high ponytail. It took me a while to notice that the window was a bit open. Maybe she had been airing the room earlier. I carefully pushed it open. I crossed my fingers and hoped that it wouldn't creak. I leaned into the room, so that my legs were still out, but my upper body was in her room. I took a deep breath and inhaled her sweet scent.

"Julie, please listen to me." Vinnie begged and it occurred to me that she still had some unfinished business with her friend. Vinnie had told me about her problem earlier and I felt sad for her. And I actually was a quite scared that maybe she was angry with Vinnie because of me.

"Russell is a wreck right now, he can't figure out what he did wrong. You're his best friend; he's totally lost without you." Vinnie said with a bit of anger in her voice now.

"What do you mean, 'that's the problem'? Have you stopped liking Russ or something?" I couldn't hear Julie's voice clearly, so I couldn't tell what she was saying. Luckily Vinnie repeated things a lot.

"This is the right time Julie; just tell me what the hell is wrong with you. I can't stand this anymore!" She was almost shouting now. I wanted to step into her room, pick the phone from her delicate hand and tell Julie to stop upsetting my girlfriend. I didn't do it, but only because I knew that Vinnie wouldn't be too happy about me.

"Okay, whatever. I'll talk you tomorrow. Bye Julie." She hung up and sighed. She rubbed her forehead and looked sad. My heart ached seeing her like that. I just couldn't hang there watching. Vinnie's pain was mine too.

"Knock, knock." I said. Vinnie let out a small cry and jumped off her bed. She just stood there staring at me; her beautiful grey eyes wide open.

"Hi babe." I muttered and climbed in her room. She was still just standing there and staring. I took two wary steps towards her. I had scared her and I felt bad about that. "It's just me, everything is okay." I tried to calm her but she still kept staring at me. When I was just a foot away from her she spoke up.

"Embry Call, what the hell are you doing in my bedroom?!" She demanded. Okay, that was unexpected…

"I just decided to surprise you. So, surprise!" I tried to be funny, but it didn't sink in.

"So you just decided to climb into my room without asking first?" I looked down and nodded nervously. Then she laughed. Yeah, laughed. I couldn't believe this girl. First she's all angry and then she's laughing her guts out. I lifted my gaze. She was leaning against her closet. I groaned, not knowing what I should do.

"Life's never boring with you Embry Call." She laughed and stepped toward me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled her body close to mine. Man, I wanted her.

"That's what they tell me." I stuttered out. Vinnie laughed beautifully.

"So tell me, what you are doing here." She asked with her seductive voice and it was unbearable. We weren't ready, and she sure wasn't helping me with this. I think she enjoyed seeing me suffer.

"Just wanted to see you." I mutter into her hair. I slipped my arms around her and hugged her tightly against me. She reached for me and I knew what she wanted. I lifted her up and put her down on her bed so that she was on her back. I stared into her steel gray eyes for a while. Then I bent over and crushed my lips against hers. She moaned loudly and answered the kiss with all the force she had. I pinned her down to the bed and parted my lips from hers and moved slowly down her throat, sucking it gently.

"Keep it quiet. Your parents may hear." I reminded her. She just moaned again, not caring about her parents. So I just kept kissing her. It was hard to stop, but Vinnie made it easier, since she was human, she needed to catch her breath. I rolled onto my back and stared at Vinnie's ceiling.

Vinnie took awhile catching her breath and then she pulled her upper body over my chest. She rested her head and I brushed my fingers through her silky hair. A thousand thoughts went through my mind but one specific thing kept coming back over and over again. The fact that I loved her. I wanted to tell her. I wanted to be free to love her. I wanted her to fully accept me. I wanted somehow to express how I felt for her. This was the perfect timing. The silence, perfect peace. And I felt brave. I felt wanted. Vinnie was here. She hadn't escaped yet. She was close to me, placing little kisses to my bare chest. She didn't fear me. And I wanted to know too. Was _I_ loved? The words came out, I didn't think it. The words chose to come out. It was time.

"I love you." I whispered. Just for a second she was lying there, not moving. Then she sat up and stared me. Her eyes where wide, radiating with something powerful. She bent closer to me and took my head between her hands. There was a little wary smile on her lips.

"What did you say?" She asked me to repeat. Her face was glowing and it looked, hopeful? I swallowed, but still feeling brave, not intimidate.

"I love you." I was about to get up, but suddenly Vinnie's whole body was over me. Her lips were on mine again, but this time they felt different. The desire and lust were there, but there was sweetness that I had never felt before. Her lips parted from mine for just the briefest time, but it was enough for me to hear.

"I love you too." She whispered and then it was my time to feel the joy. It was the best thing that had ever happened to me. It felt even better than the time I had reviled my secret to her and she hadn't run off. This was something else. I felt like exploding. I pressed Vinnie tightly against me and opened my mouth for her tongue. Love. It was there. She loved me. And I loved her. I wanted to scream it for the whole world. But I wanted to kiss Vinnie more. I felt dizzy. I had everything I wanted. I was the luckiest man alive. There was nothing better. Vinnie loved me and she wasn't going anywhere. Or so I thought.

"Vinnie! Would you please come down for a moment?" Vinnie's dad called from the downstairs. We both groaned against each others lips. Vinnie's lips parted from mine and I placed her on her feet on the floor. I kept her hand in mine. Then I had to pull her against me just for a second. Our foreheads were pressed together and I tried to kiss her again. She pressed her finger against my lips.

"I'll be right back up. It won't take long." She promised and I let her go involuntarily. She walked to the door and then turned back to look at me. She was smiling widely.

"I love you Embry." My heart jumped. I was never going to get used hearing that.

"I love you too, Vinnie." I said but she had already slammed the door close behind her.

I was too occupied to hear what Vinnie's dad had to say to her. I could have easily heard them, but Vinnie's face and words were all over my thoughts. I felt too happy and dizzy. If I had gotten up, I might have fallen. I couldn't even think clearly I was so dazed. I couldn't get a grip on my thoughts. Gladly Vinnie got back quickly. I might not have handled all my emotions alone.

"Hi." She greeted me and run to the bed and jumped on me. We stared each other for a while; it took me a moment to clear my head.

"So what was that all about?" I asked and Vinnie rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe what they're after. Dad said that Stephan and Dillon are both coming home next weekend and they want you to join us for dinner. Can you believe this?!" Vinnie was frustrated but I found it quite funny.

"So, it's time to introduce me to your whole family!" I laughed. Vinnie slapped my face.

"Ouch?" I said with a questioning voice. Vinnie laughed.

"Baby, I can be mad at you even when I love you." She smiled at me playfully. Then her face went all serious. Her brows furrowed and she seemed to be deep in thought. I stroke her cheek carefully.

"Vinnie?" She lifted her gaze.

"Then why aren't you ever mad at me?" She asked with a serious voice. Okay, another time had come. She deserved to know everything.

"I don't have that kind of a temper, love." I tried to make it a joke, but her face stayed serious.

"For real Embry." She insisted and I sighed.

"Okay, this fact I saved for the last, because I was afraid that you would run a way."

"But you all ready told me that you are a werewolf. What else is left there?" I sighed. This was hard. Maybe she would freak out when she heard it. But then again, she said that she loved me. She deserved to know everything.

"Remember the first time we met?" She nodded and smiled a little.

"You seemed all weird, staring at me when your date was still hanging from your arm."

"You know, I'm not normally that kind of a guy. I treat my dates with respect. But the first time I saw you, something happened. It's called imprinting." She looked puzzled.

"What's that? Is it a werewolf thing?" I took a beep breath. How much did I wish that she would still stay with me after this.

"Yeah it is. You've seen Kim and Jarred, Paul and Rachel and Emily and Sam. Imprinting is like that. It's about selecting your mate, if you don't mind." She looked confused, her brows were pulling together.

"What are you saying?" She sounded so confused…

"I mean that werewolves find their soul mates like this. When we lay our eyes to our imprints for the first time, after turning into werewolves, it's like gravity shifts. When I saw you, you suddenly became the reason for my existence. From the very first moment that I saw you, I loved you. After a werewolf imprints, there's nothing more important to him than that girl. There's no reason for me to live without you. That's the way imprinting works. It shows you the girl who you're meant to be with. They become the centre of your universe. There's nothing more important in the whole wide world. I couldn't live without you Vinnie." I whispered and hoped that I had explained it so that she understood.

"Than why did you wait so long?" She asked with a small voice. Her eyes were boring into mine, full of questions.

"What do you mean?" Now I was puzzled. Sometimes it was a bit difficult for me to understand Vinnie's train of thought. She was smiling a bit. Her face was smooth again.

"Why did you wait so long to tell me that you loved me?" She smiled a lot wider now. I blinked a couple of times letting it sink in.

"You're asking me this?"

"Yes, what do mean?"

"You don't want to run away? You still love me?" I asked, confused. She stroked my cheek with a breathtaking beautiful smile on her face.

"No, I want to stay with you forever. And yes, I do love you, still. Would you now answer my question, why did you keep me waiting?" I was staring her, my mouth hanging open. She was there, loving me. Not wanting to leave me, ever. There were just too much happy emotions for my brains to handle.

"I thought you would have run away. It was so early." Vinnie laughed. She had this distant look in her eyes. It was like she was thinking of something from the past.

"Yes, it was too early and that's why I was so confused." She said, deep in thought.

"What are you saying?" The distant look disappeared and she turned her radiating eyes to me.

"I was so confused. I loved you so quickly. I always knew there was something special about us, even Julie could see that. I'm so happy I finally got the explanation. I should have guessed it was some kind of a freaky werewolf thing!" She laughed out loud. I rolled my eyes, but still couldn't stop smiling at her. This was just unbelievable. She had loved me all along. I had been so stupid, not seeing that. I would have saved so much time.

"So you're okay with this?" Vinnie stared at me.

"Everything is fine as long as you stay with me." She whispered and hugged herself against me. I stroked her back.

"I can't go anywhere. It would kill me." I whispered. I could feel her grinning against my chest.

"So, how much power do I actually have over you?" She asked with a wicked voice. I really should have left that part out…

"Let's not talk about that, please." I practically begged her. She was a wicked woman. She would use this against me some day.

"Okay, I'll just ask Quil." I rubbed my forehead. I was glad that Vinnie liked the pack so much, but boy was it going to cause me some trouble…

Vinnie and I were just lying on her bed, talking quietly. She had questions about the imprinting, about Sam and Emily and the others. I told all of their stories to her, but I didn't mention Jake and Nessie and Quil and Claire. I'm glad that she didn't ask about it. It would have been too creepy. Half-vampires that grew with super speed, imprinting on a little girl… That was a lot to handle. And to be perfectly honest I just wanted to enjoy this peace and quite with her. I wanted this moment to last forever. I didn't want to mix her up with the creepiest stuff that you could find in this world. If it would be possible, I would never tell her about Nessie, but I guess that would be impossible. If she was going to hang around us more, she wasn't going to miss someone talking about Nessie. Everyone of just loved the little creature, she was so adorable. It was highly likely that she would even meet Nessie. I did love Nessie, and I knew that she was harmless, but I couldn't help it that I saw her and all the Cullens as a danger. Maybe I would get over it. I was sure, that Vinnie was dying to meet some vampires. I just had to hope that I could hold it back for a while. I just wanted to enjoy the love and all for now.

"Look Embry, you don't have to come to the dinner with us." Vinnie spoke up. It was getting pretty late, but I had stayed. Mom was on a night shift and she would never notice that I wasn't up in my room. It hadn't taken much to bend her to my will. She was far too willing to spend some time with me now. She didn't want to let go of me either. Just a couple hours ago I had thought that it was just me feeling that way. This day had revealed all sorts of interesting stuff about Vinnie. That she loved me was a miracle. I still couldn't believe it. The feeling was utopian. But then again, it was the best feeling I had ever felt.

I laughed a bit at Vinnie's comment. She didn't want me to do anything I didn't want. Unless she was going to get some profit of it.

"I'd loved to meet your family. I've only met your mom." Vinnie raised her brows at me.

"Are you sure? My brothers and my father can be a bit cruel, you know." I had to laugh. I was a werewolf; it wasn't like they were going to hurt me or anything. Vinnie sighed and rested her chin against my bare chest.

"What's so funny?" I snorted to her tone of voice.

"I think I can handle them. You saw how I charmed your mom." I reminded her, but it was her time to snort now.

"They're a bit harder to please than my mom. Actually, they don't even like you." She informed me with a bit sad face. I lifted her chin with my fingers and looked deep into her eyes.

"And why is that?" Vinnie squirmed closer to me and I put my arm around her.

"I'm just a little girl to them. They don't like seeing me growing up. And somehow they blame you for that. Oh, and then my brothers are very worried about the horny teenagers." I kissed lightly Vinnie's forehead.

"Well, I'm not the only one they should be worried about…" Vinnie laughed freely.

"I totally agree." She wrapped her arms around me and came closer. I bit my lip, trying not to think that she was that close to me and everyone else in the house had fell asleep more than an hour ago. She wasn't helping me. She traced her lower lip with the tip of her tongue. She was unbearably good looking when she wasn't even trying. Now she was trying to look seductive. I couldn't take it. I growled something unintelligent and crushed my lips to hers. Vinnie cried, taken by surprise. She wasn't surprised for long. She answered my kiss with such a passion. I moaned when her tongue found mine.

"I love you Vinnie." I breathed when we parted.

"I love you too Embry. More than anything." Everything was perfect on that day. Just utterly perfect.

**A/N: Aww! They said it finally! I'm so happy for them. Yes and please review! Thanks to my awesome ex-beta, charmed-ireland, you've been great, thanks so much!  
But still, I desperately need a beta and I have started to write a new story too about Jacob and Nessie and that one needs a beta too. Let me know if you'd like to beta this or you know someone who'd like to. **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: So, I'm updating now. But I have to say first, that no one has fixed this chapter for me. I haven't found a new beta yet, and I have a couple of unpublished chapters, so I thought I'd give it a try. Please let me know if this chapter sucks because of my grammar mistakes or anything like that.**

**Thanks for all of you who reviewed to the chapter 14. Thanks _Superdani_, your reviews always make me smile :) Thanks _SweetnSpoiledx93._ _Jazminadra_, I'm so proud of you, whole review in english! :) Thank you _BellaSwan3_! I'm glad you like Vinnie's name _lynnieboo _:)**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Meyer owns anything you recognize..**

Chapter 15 (Embry's POV) 

Okay, it was twelve o'clock. We had school tomorrow. Where was I? Yeah, at Vinnie's place. I had no intention to leave. I knew I should have left a long time ago, but I just couldn't make myself go. I wanted to stay with Vinnie and she seemed to enjoy my company too. It was late, but neither of us was sleepy. I felt very fresh, but it was all because of Vinnie. When she said the three simple words, I was breathless. I wasn't going to get enough of that.

Vinnie and I were still lying on her bed, talking quietly. I had become a bit worried about the dinner that Vinnie's family had planned for the next weekend. I tried to push it away, but it kept coming back to me. I wanted her whole family to like me. Not just her mom, but her dad and brothers also. According to Vinnie, I was going to have some hard time with them. I just had to deal with it. Vinnie was the most important thing to me and I wanted to get along with her family.

Vinnie's hands distracted my thoughts, but I welcomed it. She brusher her delicate fingers through my hair. I wrapped my arms around her but she shook her head. My face fell and she laughed.

"I just have to set the alarm." She said and I let her get up. Then I noticed something. Vinnie's top had rolled up just a little bit. I saw something black in her lower back, on the left side of it. I reached to Vinnie and stopped her.

"What's up?" Vinnie asked and turned around.

"What's that?" I said and pointed her back. She noticed that her top had rolled up and quickly fixed it.

"It's nothing." She lied and took her alarm clock from her nightstand. I wrapped my left arm around her waist and leaned closer to her ear.

"If you're not telling me, I'll just have to look by myself." Vinnie sighed, knowing that she had no options. She wasn't going to get away from me. I was too strong, she couldn't fight back. I bet she would have, if I weren't this built up.

"Okay, it's a tattoo." She confessed. "Are you happy now?" I was in a bit shock. A tattoo? How was it possible that I wasn't aware of it?

"A tattoo?" I repeated my thoughts. I must've sounded very funny. She laughed at my face.

"Yes, it's a tattoo." She confirmed. I scratched my head. Huh, didn't see that one coming.

"You have a tattoo?" She rolled her eyes impatiently.

"Yes, how many times do I have to repeat it?"

"So many times that I believe it." I answered smartly. She sighed and put her face down to her knees. Then she stood up and pulled her top up so I could see her back. Her skin was so smooth, coffee colored, very beautiful. On the small of her back, was a simple tattoo. It had no shadings, just the thick outlines. It was about two inches wide. It fitted her well. It was simple and beautiful, like she was. The star was slightly tilted. The simplicity made it pretty. It had only the thick black outlines, nothing else. Vinnie's own coffee colored skink was visible in the middle.

Vinnie glanced at me over her shoulder.

"So what do you think?" I didn't know what to say. I just hadn't been expecting to find a tattoo on my girlfriend. I had always dated the good girls. They would have never endured the pain. But Vinnie was different. She always made me feel surprised.

"It's pretty. Do your parents know about it?" I asked, still staring at her tattoo. She covered it and walked back to me.

"Are you crazy? My dad would kill me if he knew!" She laughed nervously to her own words. I furrowed my brows, not knowing what to think of this.

"So why do you have it then, if you can't ever show it to anyone?" Vinnie smiled to me.

"You remember the picture from my eighteenth birthday, right?" She asked and I nodded. I remembered seeing the picture on the fridge door. She had looked so beautiful in it. In the picture Vinnie was smiling, sitting with her two cousins. I recalled their names being Liam and Jordan. Vinnie had looked happy in that one. She clearly enjoyed her cousins company.

"Well, it was kind of a dare…" She muttered, staring at her hands. My brows pulled up from surprise.

"You got a tattoo because someone dared you?" I asked, very amazed know. Was there something this girl wouldn't do if you dared her? Quil would so much want to find out after he'd heard this one…

"Well, Liam did dare me, but I actually wanted to take the tattoo. That's why I agreed. It was an easy victory. Besides, Liam promised to be my slave for a week if I would do that. Great times…" She muttered with a dreamy voice. This girl was nuts. But I loved her. Yeah, she wouldn't be Vinnie if she wasn't doing all this crazy stuff.

"So how do you keep it hidden then?" I asked, wondering what exactly her father would do if he would find out.

Vinnie sat in my lap and I happily wrapped my arms around her. She looked deeply into my eyes and smiled mischievously.

"You just have to keep your shirt on, it's quite simple." I grinned at her.

"It's not that easy, you know." I said and pointed at my bare chest. She laughed freely and pressed her face against my throat. She inhaled deeply.

"I like it this way better…" She muttered and set her lips against my skin. Her soft lips felt heavenly pressed against my throat. I would have loved staying there all night. Vinnie's scent, looks, just her presence made me feel dizzy, high. It was a good feeling, the best. The atmosphere around her was… I can't even describe it; it was like nothing else in the world. I felt whole. I had no idea, how on earth was I going to go to bed not having her by my side. I hadn't experienced it, just hearing her silent heart beat, her relaxed breathing… But I was still going to miss that. I could imagine how it would feel, just me and Vinnie, dreaming together. Yes, that would be the best thing I've ever experienced. I have to confess; after Vinnie came into my life the 'best thing' had changed a lot. First it was just her laugh, then her scent, then her full lips, then the love she felt towards me… The list was never going to end.

I pulled Vinnie tighter against me, not wanting to have her away from me. I wanted to feel every inch of her against my skin.

"I love you Vinnie." My voice was quiet. She didn't say anything. I looked down at her. She had fallen asleep. I smiled at her. The dreamy look in her face was beautiful, peaceful. I kissed her cheek.

"Sleep tight Vinnie." I yawned too, feeling exhausted. I unwrapped Vinnie's arms and placed her to her bed. I tucked her in. It was my intention to leave right after that. I just wanted to stay a little longer, to observe her sleep, just for a while. I yawned again, feeling how heavy my eye lids were. I didn't want to go, I wanted to stay. I was still sitting on the edge of her bed, thinking about leaving. Then the sudden darkness swallowed me in, allowing the sleep to come.

The awakening was harsh. It had felt like a minute. The hideous noise was demanding me to wake up. I groaned and tried to reach for the alarm clock. But the clock wasn't where I thought it was. Where the clock should have been, was just something soft… like hair. It was a human. I quickly jumped up, not remembering where I was. Some old memories came rushing back to me but they disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.

It was just her, yawning there, stretching her stiff muscles. What the hell was I doing in here? Vinnie groaned and reached for the clock, but I was on her way. She still hadn't opened her eyes yet. She let out a scream when her fingers touched my abdomen. Her eyes flew open.

"Embry!" She breathed.

"Yeah, it's me." I said my voice still thick with the sleep.

"I don't mean to be rude, but what the hell are you doing here?!" Vinnie asked, motioning with her hands.

"I think I fell asleep." Yeah, that must be it. I had been so tired. I moaned. I had spent the all night with Vinnie and I had missed it. This sucked. I had no memory of it what so ever. I couldn't even recall wrapping my arms around her.

"Well, that's nice, but I think you're going to be late." She said and handed me the alarm clock. Yeah, she was right. It was way too much for me to be in the first lesson in time. I was all the way down in Port Angeles for god's sake. Well, I didn't mind. Vinnie was so much better than school.

"It's okay." I reassured her. She rolled her eyes.

"No it's not. I don't like you missing school because of me. Would you mind going downstairs and fix yourself some breakfast?" She asked and got up.

"Aren't you coming?" I didn't want to let her go, just not yet.

"I'll be there in a minute. I'd just like to change my pajamas for something more appropriate for school." She said, pointing at her clothes. I smiled at her and kissed her lips gently.

"You better be quick, I hate waiting." I murmured against her lips. She laughed and slapped my shoulder.

"You'll wait for me." She said with a little twinkle in the corner of her eyes. I had to laugh. She learned so quickly. She was already taking advantage of this imprinting thing.

"Forever." I promised and walked out of the door.

It didn't take Vinnie a long time to get downstairs. I had found some milk and toast and I was putting it on the table. I was glad that they had peanut butter, my favorite. I sat down to the table and started eating; I was hungry like a wolf.

Vinnie stepped into the kitchen, wearing black jeans and a red blouse. The same clothes she had worn on our first date. I couldn't help but smile. She smirked at me and did a spin.

"Enjoying the view?" She asked with a snide voice.

"Very much. Come closer so I can see you properly."

"Nice try Romeo. What's for breakfast?" She sat next to me, eyeing the table. "You're eating peanut butter? Yuck, I hate that stuff."

"What do you have against peanut butter?" I asked sounding as if I was hurt and pointed at her with my peanut butter sandwich.

"Too sweet and sticky. I prefer good old butter." She said and buttered the toast.

"I'm sweet." I said and pouted my lips. She rolled her eyes.

"What ever Embry, just eat, you'll be so late." I sighed and finished my toast.

I opened the Toyota's door for Vinnie. She smirked but stepped in without any complains. I was leaning against the car, only my jeans on. I was keeping the car door open, not letting her get away from me just yet. Vinnie gazed at the clock and then turned her eyes to me.

"You should get running Embry." She reminded me. Apparently I had been staring at her, again. I sighed, that made Vinnie smile.

"Yeah, I don't want you to be late from school." I said and was about to slam the door closed.

"Embry, you'll be late like, thirty minutes, at least. And you're worried about me being late?"

"Well, yes. You're my number one priority." She sighed and shook her head.

"This imprinting thing is a tricky one, am I right?" I laughed and slammed the door closed. She opened the window.

"Don't worry Vinnie, you'll learn." She started the engine and smiled at me.

"I will, just wait. I'll see you later Embry."

"I love you Vinnie."

"Love you more." Then she drove away. I stood there a while, just watching her go. Then I sighed and turned around, to the woods.

It didn't take me that long to run back. I didn't like to be awfully late and I didn't actually even enjoy the running; my head was so filled with pictures of Vinnie. Too soon I was opening up the front door of our house. I run to the upstairs and picked up the t-shirt from the floor. It was the same I had worn yesterday. I put it on and run to my truck. This wasn't nice, but so worth it. It had felt so good, waking up next to Vinnie. But the dreaming had to stop now. I hopped into my car and rushed to the school.

The hallways were empty. Everyone was sitting in their classrooms, studying. I so wasn't looking forward meeting the guys. They would mock me, and hard. I could handle it, but I wasn't going to like it. I was prepared for a hell.

I knocked on the door of my history classroom. Our teacher opened it up, with a really strict look in her face.

"I'm so glad that you decided to join us Mr. Call." Her voice was sarcastic. I heard some suffocated laughter from the back of the class room. It didn't take a genius to figure out who the laughers were.

"I'm so sorry I'm late." I didn't want to explain why I was late. I didn't want to lie, but I didn't want to tell the truth either.

"Take your seat Embry. So as I was telling you right before we got interrupted, the Spanish conquerors…" That was all I hear of the teachers speech. I focused my eyes to the back of the class. Yep, there they were, the three smirking werewolves. I was going to hate this. I took my seat besides Paul without saying a word. They all were having a hard time not saying anything. For a while they just kept smirking at me. Finally Paul made up his mind and opened up his way too big mouth.

"So, aren't those the clothes you were wearing yesterday Embry?" I rolled my eyes and kept my mouth shut. Sometimes the so called friends of mine were a little bit too nosy.

Quil being impatient as he is started pouncing up and down in his chair.

"Well, aren't they?" He pressed me. The whole freaking day was going to be like this. I had to share this with them if I wanted to get out of this easily.

"Yes, I'm wearing the same clothes I wore yesterday, so what?" I asked, looking away from them. I just couldn't handle the knowing looks in their faces.

"So why you are late, man?" Jake opened up his mouth for the first time. He was trying to hide the smirk, but he didn't quite manage.

"Because." I murmured, not giving anything, yet. I was going to, but I hated this, talking about me and Vinnie to my friends. Before I met Vinnie I had no problems of talking about girls with my friends. But now all this was so much different. Vinnie meant the world to me, I didn't want to share this, but then again I did. I had heard all of their stories and they were allowed to hear mine too. And it would have sucked if I couldn't talk to anyone. I loved Vinnie, yes, but she wasn't one of the guys, my brothers. I think I needed to talk to someone as much as I tried to deny it.

"Because of what?" Quil rushed me, eager to hear everything I had to tell.

"Because, it takes a little while to run back here from Port Angeles." I said and was pretending to take notes. They all broke into laughter. Teacher gave us a nasty scowl.

"You're the man Embry!" Paul said and started slamming my back, which hurt a little bit. I didn't look that excited and Jake furrowed his brows.

"So what exactly happened?" I yawned a bit, still very tired because of the lack of sleep. I needed a lot of sleep and staying up late didn't help.

"Nothing. I just fell asleep." But then I remembered something else, the greatest thing that had ever happened to me and I broke into a smile. All three smirked.

"Okay, you fell asleep, what else happened?" They were all staring at me, waiting for an answer.

"I-I told her I love her." I spit out and waited for their reactions.

"It was about time!" Quil snorted.

"So what did she say?" Jake was more concerned, not as trusting as Quil. But I think my smile told it all. I wouldn't have been smiling that wide if she had said like 'thank you' instead of 'I love you'.

"She said 'I love you too Embry. More than anything.'" I quoted her. I would always remember her exact words, there was no way I was ever going to forget it, her voice, the sweet words she had pronounced, the look on her beautiful face… That had been the best day of my life. I think I was going to say that a lot during the years that I would spend with Vinnie, but that was okay. Every minute, every second with her was the best of my life.

"That's so great Embry! I know I sound like a girl, but I'm happy for you man." Quil said with bright smile on his face. I knew she loved Vinnie as a sister and was so happy that she had accepted me and through that all of us.

"We always knew that you had a little girl in you." Paul smirked. We all laughed but I was so thankful to Quil, to all of them. They had supported me so much.

"Thanks Quil, that really means a lot to me."

"Anytime bro, anytime." He promised and I shared a smile with him. I appreciated my friends so much, they were more to me, and they truly were my brothers. They understood me perfectly. I was so lucky to have them. But then again the mocking started and I didn't feel so lucky at all…

"I know you're keeping something away from me." Quil accused me. I had particularly shared every freaking detail with them, but of course Quil could tell that it wasn't all. I opened the cafeteria door and sighed.

"Do you really have to know every thing what happened? You know, I'm not going to fill you in with some details…" I wandered off, trying to mislead him. Quil made a face but didn't let it go.

"I didn't mean that bro. That's just gross, you know Vinnie's like a sister to me. I'm not looking forward seeing your thoughts. What I meant was, what didn't you tell? I know that look on your face Embry. You're bad at keeping secrets." Yeah, that was true. Vinnie had known right from the beginning that I was hiding something from her.

"Okay, you're right!" I admitted to him.

"So…?" He asked, but then we bumped into Seth. He was just his too happy self. That wouldn't have bothered me so much if Quil would just have let me be.

"Hi guys! What's up Embry, wearing the same clothes as yesterday? I never would have believed off Vinnie…" He trailed off. I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"What the hell's wrong with you guys?! Are you like some kind of freaking clothing cops?" Seth put his hands up, not wanting me to get all edgy again.

"Just calm down Embry, I didn't mean anything, I was just amazed. Vinnie just didn't feel like that kind of a girl. Has it been like, what, three weeks?" I let out a small growl. I was so offended. How did he dare to practically say that Vinnie was frivolous?

"I didn't sleep with her!"

"Yeah, he just slept next to her, if you know what I mean." Quil cleared up.

"Oh, I'm sorry Embry, man. I just assumed because you were wearing the same clothes… Please, forgive me. I didn't actually believe that." I shook my head at him. Seth was just a kid. I had no option but to let it go. And I bet he wasn't the only one who was making these wrong assumptions. Paul had thought that too, but Paul was Paul.

"Yeah, whatever Seth." He's regretting expression swabbed away.

"So, you were telling me about something before this nosy Seth interrupted us." Quil was moving into the business right away. How could he be this curious? I thought it was girls stuff to ask about their friends private lives.

"I wasn't telling you anything." I said and grabbed my tray, filling it with food.

"Oh, yes you were! Let us hear it!" He pressured. I rolled my eyes. Better to wait up for the table. That way I wouldn't have to repeat the story…

I sat next to Kim and greeted her and Jarred. Kim didn't say anything, but she lifted her brows.

"Spill it." Quil ordered, sitting on my left side.

"Okay, if you really have to know…"

"Yes, we all do. This is so nice! It has been so long when we had someone to mock." I rolled my eyes to him and returned Vinnie lying on the bed back to my head.

"So Vinnie was getting up from the bed to set the alarm-" That was how far I got before they already interrupted me.

"So you were in bed?" Paul's voice was amused.

"Yes, talking. Can I go on?" Quil nodded his head, wanting to hear it already. "Her top had rolled up a bit and I saw something black on her lower back."

"What was it?!" Seth's eager voice asked.

"Will you let me finish, please? So she wasn't that eager to tell me what it was, but finally she showed it to me, her tattoo."

"Cool, I didn't know she had one." Jake said, apparently thinking about getting one for himself.

"I should have guessed…" Quil was thinking.

"My parents would never allow me to get one. I thought her father was quite strict." Kim wondered out loud.

"Well, yeah, he is. Her parents don't know. She got it last summer, because of a dare."

"She's crazy." Jarred laughed.

"But we all knew that." Jake pointed out and they all bursted into laugher. Then I remembered the thing that was getting on my nerves. I just wasn't prepared for it. I groaned.

"What's wrong?" Kim asked, concerned as always.

"I promised to go on a dinner and meat her whole family." I murmured. My friends laughed harder. Kim patted my arm and smiled.

"They'll love you." She promised, but I wasn't that sure. After a while my friends got tired of mocking me and I was allowed to be nervous. I usually wasn't nervous, I actually felt confident with this kind of situations. But this was different, this meant a lot. I wanted Vinnie's dad to like me probably more than anything. Well, not anything… I would have to impress him, make him notice that I was good enough for his daughter. Vinnie's brothers would be a problem too, but I thought that they would be a lot easier to handle. I tried not to think about this, but I couldn't help myself.

On our math class I heard buzzing in my back bag. I quickly gazed at the teacher, confirming that she wasn't looking. I was grateful to notice that she was flipping through some exams. Jake glanced at me when I reached for the pocket of my back bag. He didn't say anything when I took out my cell phone and checked the message I had just received. I wasn't awfully surprised when I noticed that the message was from Vinnie. Who else besides my friends would send text messages to me? I was eager to see what se had wrote, she usually didn't use her phone during lessons. In that way she was a pretty good student, always following the rules. It was kind of weird, knowing Vinnie's hatred towards all kind of rules. She just didn't like being pushed around, but maybe she just liked learning new things. I wondered if she was on her History class, the subject she hated the most.

"_I wish you were here, I'm dead bored without you. When are we going to see again? I have to work tonight thou… I hope you made it on time to school. Love you, Vinnie."_

These simple words made me smile like a maniac. I was so happy to realize that she felt the exactly same feelings that I did.

"_I wish I was there. Is it okay to me to come after your work, through your window I mean? I wasn't that much late and it was totally worth it. I love you even more baby. See you soon, Embry."_

It didn't take her that long to answer and I was so thrilled to see her respond.

"_I can't wait; I'll leave the window open for you. I don't want to argue who loves who more, but I think I win this one."_

Ah, that's my girl. I couldn't wait to climb through her window again. These kinds of things eased my worries a lot. After these messages I received from Vinnie, I couldn't be anxious. Her words, even when they weren't spoken out loud, relaxed me. She had this incredible impact on me. But I think that wasn't a surprise, I had after all imprinted on her. God I loved this girl with her long black hair, mischievous grin and the unexpected tattoo. Nothing was ever going to tear us apart.

After the too long day at school I hopped into my truck and drove down to Sam and Emily's. I had to spend the time somehow and I was convinced that the time would go faster if I had something to keep myself occupied.

I slammed the door shut behind me when I parked my truck next to Jakes Rabbit. All of them were already inside, I could hear them clearly. I just stepped in, not knocking or anything; this was kind of my second home. For so long this had been the only place I could be totally myself and no one questioned that. And I was so happy in here. Well, this was no longer the happiest place in my world. That place was now with Vinnie. Wherever she'd go I would be there, being the happiest person alive. Still, this certainly was the second best place in the world. My smile widened when I saw my family sitting in the kitchen, laughing, arguing, and just being happy. They all turned their eyes on me and smiled and greeted me. Quil was sitting in one of the chairs by the kitchen table. My smile grew even wider when I saw the happy little girl sitting on his knee, bouncing up and down, smiling to me.

"Uncle Embry!" She said and flashed her teeth. She was missing the two front teeth and just looked adorable.

"Well, hi Claire-Bear! How's it been?" I took the chair next to Quils.

"You know what Embry? Quil's taking me to the movies!" She was so excited and of course Quil was too. He was smiling and ruffled her long black hair. Watching Quil made me think about how I looked to outsiders. Did I look as happy as Quil did? Could they tell form my face how much I loved Vinnie? Because I could see just how much Quil cared for her.

"So what movie is he taking you? Is it some good action film?" I asked and Claire rolled her big brown eyes at me.

"No, action films are dumb. He's taking me to see Cinderella!" She was so thrilled that I had to laugh at her. It was so simple to be child, they would be so happy for such small things.

"Oh, Cinderella, I think I've seen her somewhere…" I said and scratched my chin with a thoughtful expression.

"No, you can't have seen her, she's not real!" Claire said to me looked at me like I was really stupid. I laughed and so did anyone else. Emily grinned at me by the stove.

"Oh, I just thought you looked exactly like her. Well, I suppose you're not a princess after all."

"I don't look like her Embry, I have black hair, and she's blonde! But I'm a princess. Quil told me so!" She looked at Quil who was smiling at her.

"Of course you're a princess Claire-Bear!" He reassured her and she looked instantly happier. Then the conversation died because Emily put the food in front of us. Her chicken was great, the best I've ever had.

We were all full, sitting on the living-room when Emily looked at Jake.

"So, did you talk to the Cullens?" She was so eager to see Nessie again. We had all fell in love with that half vampire girl, she was just so irresistible. Jake laughed at bit, seeing Emily's anxious face.

"Oh, I did." He said and stuffed one more cookie down to his throat. Emily was fidgeting on her seat. I didn't take her long to break.

"Oh tell me already!" We all laughed and Jake swallowed the cookie before answering.

"Okay, Bella promised to bring Nessie here in two weeks for now, on Sunday. She and Edward are going to be in Seattle for the whole day, so Nessie will be here for the entire time." Emily was smiling happily and so was everyone else. It had been a long time since we'd seen Nessie. Then my face fell, and of course they all could see that.

"What's up Embry?" Seth questioned from my left side.

"I'd love to see Nessie, but I don't know…" I wandered off. Maybe seeing Nessie wouldn't be such a good idea after all.

"What are you talking about, man? She's been waiting for seeing you all again, you can't blow her off." Jake was clearly upset and I knew he wouldn't like the things I was going to say next.

"Yeah, I would hate to do that, but I don't want to be away from Vinnie you know, weekends are particularly the only time I have her completely, no school, and no work." I explained. And that was kind of true, I did want her all by myself, but that wasn't the main reason.

"What are you talking about? You know Vinnie would love to see us all again." Quil protested, but was still looking at the drawing Claire had just drawn for him.

"Well, that actually isn't the problem. I love bringing her here and she loves it too." I was quite anxious; waiting for Jake to realize what exactly was I talking about. I could see it when he realized what I was talking about. His face fell and his mouth was just one tight line.

"Nessie's never hurt anyone!" He hissed behind his teeth.

"I'm sorry man! But I won't take her here unless she demands it by herself." Everyone muttered quietly, disapproving my decisions. I actually wasn't the only one who had doubts, Sam had been very skeptic, but he had gotten over it. I knew I was being the bad guy and I was definitely overreacting, but I couldn't help it.

"You're being totally stupid Embry!" Seth said, very hurt by me insulting his vampire friends.

"It's not just Nessie; you know Edward and Bella are going to be here too." I tried to defend myself. They all left out a mocking laughter.

"Oh and Bella with her super self control, or Edward who resisted his own girlfriends blood are going to kill her? They're people and you agree with us in this Embry." Seth said, and stared at me like I had just killed a puppy.

"I know guys, but you know how I feel…" I murmured ashamed of my thoughts and fears.

"I know Embry, but you're being stupid and you know it." Jake said quietly. It hurt me to look his face.

"I'm so sorry Jake, but I don't know about this." I apologized, but didn't change my mind.

"Embry, if I told about this to Vinnie, I bet she would make you take her here. Or alternately she'd asked me to pick her up." Quil said with a smile, sensing a victory. I rubbed my face and sighed deeply. Okay, if I thought about all the facts, there was nothing to be afraid of.

"Okay! But if she hesitates just a bit, I'm canceling." I stood up, ready to leave. I stopped when I was by Jakes side. I put my hand on his shoulder, trying to apologize my behavior.

"I'm sorry man, but I hope you understand where I'm coming from." He just nodded and I was pretty happy. I had hurt my brother, but he wouldn't be angry for me, not for a long at least. I said my goodbyes and headed home to shower and change my clothes. I longed for my Vinnie, and I couldn't wait for any longer. I needed her, Vinnie, my love.

**A/N: So what did you think? Please review and tell me if you liked it or not :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: So here's the chapter 16! I hope you like it. I hope this chapter doesn't have too little Embry on it :) **

**Thanks for all you who review!**

_**Superdani**_**, I just love it that you review every time!  
**_**Charmed-ireland**_**, thank you, I hope this un-betaed version isn't so awful.  
**_**Lynnieboo**_**, thanks, but Meyer never said if Claire was brunette or blonde or whatever. So in my opinion, she has black hair, because her mother at least is a Native American.  
**_**Jazminadra,**_** your review was great like always, thanks for that.  
****Thank you **_**CallmeEmbrys**_**, I'll let you know if I need any help :)  
**_**Wolfy Pup**_**, thanks, I hope you enjoy this!**

**Disclaimer: Meyer owns anything that has something to do with her books.**

Chapter 16 (Vinnie's POV) 

Oh my god, was the only thing I could think about when Embry said the words to me. I just couldn't believe it, he loved me! That sounded so crazy. Of course I loved him too, that was obvious, but I could have never guessed that he loved me too. That was just bizarre, but how could I have complained? There is this guy, which I by the way absolutely love, who is in love with me! I couldn't get that thought out of my head for the whole Friday at school. My two dearest friends had been acting pretty strange too, but I was too occupied to think about what was wrong with the two of them, again. They had both been avoiding each other and most days that just annoyed the hell out of me. But this day was totally different; no weird acting could make me feel bad or annoyed. I was a bit offended when they didn't notice anything different about me, but I couldn't blame them, they had their own problems too. I was just thinking about Embry for the whole day and I was so glad when he had promised me to come see me today too. I had no idea how could I go on for a one day without him. I knew I was being a bit clingy, but I tried to suffocate that. I was independent and I normally needed no one.

But I needed Embry, this guy had totally stolen my heart and I wasn't getting it back anytime soon, maybe not forever. That made me smile, like I would like to have it back, it belonged to him, he was its truthful owner. I just had to hope I held his heart like he hold mine. Then it hit me, I probably did, the imprinting was a strange concept to me, but I knew the main idea. He was supposed to love me forever, no matter what I did. That was creepy, but I kind of like it. I grinned mischievously to myself, started my car and drove out of the school parking lot.

Mom was fussing around the kitchen, flipping through her old recipes. I took a deep breath, something unfamiliar caught my nose. Mom was too busy to notice my entrance and she really jumped when I opened my mouth.

"What are you cooking Mom?" She tried to even her breathing before answering. I sneaked by the stove and took a quick look at the pan.

"Oh Vinnie! You scared me there, don't do that again." She said and I laughed, Mom was just too easily scared.

"So again, what on earth are you cooking in here?" I asked and took a good look at the pan; there were familiar ingredients, like rise, sausage, shrimps and green peas. I usually didn't eat sausage and shrimps at the same meal; I thought and scratched my head with a thinking expression in my face.

"This is paella. It's a great Spanish food, I tell you. We should try exotic foods more often, you know. I think I'll try out this Pavlova for dessert. It's a lovely Russian meringue cake." Mom said and took out a spoon and tasted the paella.

"Why are you trying out these new recipes Mom?" The food was done and Mom took it out of the stove.

"Well, I was just thinking what I should serve when your brothers and Embry are coming over for a dinner with us." She took out two plates, so I figured out Dad wasn't going to be home in a while.

"You have a whole week to try to figure it out! And you know they don't care what they eat, they're happy just to get some food in their mouths!" I laughed. I bet Dillon had eaten just pizza after he moved to California. Mom laughed too, I bet she was imagining Dillon eating some dull pizza too.

"Yes, I know your brothers; they certainly aren't picky with their food! And I'm actually not cooking for them; it's Embry I'm trying to empress." She confessed and I had to hide my laughter as a cough.

"Mom, why would you want to empress Embry? You know it's usually the boyfriend's task to empress the parents, that includes you too Mom, not just Dad."

"I know Vinnie, but I want him to think highly of us, I'm not taking the blame if you two brake up!" She was a bit hysterical and I found that completely hilarious. All this trouble for Embry… Oh boy, he was going to be a bit puzzled of the way my family was going to act around him. Dad would ask way too personal questions, Mom would try please him as much as possible, my brothers were going to throw him some dirty looks, I was sure of it. Yes, that should be very interesting. I wouldn't be surprised if he would dump me after that.

Oh right, that wasn't possible, I almost forgot this freaky connection between us, which I by the way absolutely loved. I was actually liking it a bit too much, some girls would probably kind of freaked out if someone told them that they were tied together with one guy forever. Even I would have thought that about a month ago, before I knew Embry. But now it was just better that I had at least something that would keep him with me.

"Why would it ever be your fault if we broke up? That doesn't make any sense." Mom just hummed and put the paella on our plates. She definitely needed some reassuring; otherwise she would have a nerve breakdown before next weekend.

"Mom, seriously, you don't have to think about what to serve for dinner when they come by. Embry would eat anything you give him. He fits in quite well with Dad, Dillon and Stephan." Maybe I should also warn Mom to reserve enough food. I had seen Embry eat. One morning he had eaten like seven fried eggs.

"Okay Vinnie, I stop freaking out, I promise. Taste the paella, dear. What do you think? Should I serve this?" I gave Mom a dirty look but tasted the food. It was actually kind of good, better than I had imagined.

After dinner I had to leave for work quickly, and it was torture. All I wanted to do was see Embry. I had to suck it up, be brave and do my duty, serve popcorn to fat people. No seriously, I didn't think my clients were fat, well not all of them. But they were boring and way too demanding. I guess I wouldn't work as cashier in the future.

I was so tired after work; some old guy had been a pain in my ass for a long time. He just couldn't decide what to order and then he changed his orders fifty times before getting what he wanted. I so wouldn't be working there if I had any other options. Well okay, I actually didn't have to work, but I liked to earn my own pocket money. It was too bad my work ethics weren't as important to me as my priorities.

I kind of collapsed in my bed when I had reached the upstairs and my room. I was so tired and almost fell asleep. I was completely awake when I heard some silent laugher by the window. He was smiling at me, looking very good. He had no shirt on, just the way I liked it.

"Would you like to come in or hang in there for the entire night?" I asked and smiled at him widely. My day had been saved. Not that the morning hadn't been good, but the day at work had definitely lowered my great mood.

"I hang were ever you want me to." He said but climbed in, looking totally gorgeous. How could a person be that damn good looking?

"You know that sounded a bit pervert." I laughed and rolled over, making room for him. He laughed too and shook his head for my comment. No others words were required, I leaned closer to him. He met me in the middle and pressed his lips against mine. I moaned with pleasure, this was so good, the best thing ever. I made sure that the kiss was long, so long that I had to break away to catch my breath.

"God I missed this." I mumbled and kissed Embry's cheek, smiling widely.

"Oh, I'm sorry; I wish I could kiss you without being here." He said sarcastically, not really meaning it. I could see that he was about to laugh. I slapped his chest playfully and rolled my eyes.

"I missed you too, but I think that the kisses might just beat you…" I wandered off. It didn't take long for him to pin me against the mattress. He looked deeply into my eyes, looking kind of... hungry. He didn't say another word and I forgot just how to form words. Everything was so perfect.

I was pretty sleepy, but didn't want to fell asleep just yet. Embry was brushing his fingers through my hair. It felt so nice. I could smell his musky scent, I was in heaven.

"Vinnie…?" He questioned me with hesitation in his voice. I looked up at him, seeing his worried face. I nodded him to go on. He was fidgeting, not looking comfortable at all.

"I was at Sam and Emily's today and Jake told we were getting some visitors in two weeks, on Sunday actually…." He wasn't very eager to keep going on with his story, but continued despite that.

"I never told you much about the Cullens, did I?" That name had been so interesting for me a while now. He never liked talking about them, so I didn't ask.

"Yeah, you didn't. Jake just told me about Bella and how she became a vampire. Well, actually he just said something like that saving her from drowning didn't do much good since her heart isn't beating. Oh, and he also mentioned Edward Cullen? Her boyfriend or husband or something." Embry nodded.

"Okay, I haven't talked about Cullens that much because I didn't like the idea of you getting involved with them, but I think it's time for me to tell you now." He took a break, thought something for a while and continued.

"Bella moved here about three years ago. She fell in love with Edward Cullen, who already was a vampire. I don't know how it worked out, maybe he had some pretty good self control or he loved her too much to hurt her, I don't know. There were seven members in Edward family including him. Carlisle and Esme are kind of their parents. Then there's Jasper and Alice and Rosalie and Emmett. About two years ago Bella and Edward decided to get married. When they came back from their honeymoon, she was pregnant." I let out an amazed groan.

"Vampires can have babies?" What the…?! I thought they were like dead or something.

"Well, only male vampires can have babies with female humans. So back to the story. The fetus was growing fast, too fast. It almost killed Bella, but Edward managed to save her by transforming her into vampire. Now they live happily with their pretty fast growing child Renesmee." He finished his story. My mouth hang open, I was so surprised. Some kind of half-vampires, nearly killed mothers… Wow. This new world I had stepped in was a really dramatic one.

"So, Renesmee huh? How is this related to the visitor that Jake told you about?" I knew it already, but I was still in a kind of shock.

"We actually call her Nessie. The name Bella came up with was rather a long one. Nessie's coming to Sam and Emily's, and maybe Edward and Bella stop by too." He muttered, still not so eager to talk about the vampires.

"How has this anything to do with you guys? Is this just friend visiting friend or what?" I could tell he hadn't still told me everything.

"I told you about the imprinting. Jake has kind of imprinted on Nessie." He confessed. I blinked. I blinked twice. I blinked many times before Embry said anything.

"Are you okay Vinnie?" His voice was just a weak echo to me.

"You're telling me, that Jake, eighteen year old guy, has imprinted on a little girl? He's like in love with her? How sick is this?!" I was so angry, this was so messed up, this wasn't happening. Ugh, gross.

"No! You get me all wrong Vinnie! It's nothing like us, he does love her, but more like a little sister than anything else. I should have told you yesterday, that when we imprint on a girl, we are whatever they need us to be for them. You needed me to be your boyfriend, so I am your boyfriend. Nessie needs a big brother and Jake is that to him. Maybe later Jake will be her best friend and after that, if she needs him like that, her lover or something. He has only brotherly feelings towards her, nothing sick or twisted, we know that." I took a deep breath, feeling calmer.

"How can you be so sure?"

"We hear him, there's nothing disgusting in his thoughts, well maybe the vampire smell." He laughed and I lifted my brows, shocked again. He just couldn't stop surprising me couldn't he?

"You hear his thought?!" I was so close to shouting that I had to put my hands over my mouth to keep myself quiet.

"I didn't tell you that… When we are in our wolf forms, we can hear each other's thoughts, yes." He answered to me. I felt suddenly pretty embarrassed. His friends had seen everything! I slapped Embry in the chest, pretty angry now. He looked at me confused.

"What was that for?" I slapped him again.

"Those were for not telling me everything," I slapped him for the third time. "That was for embarrassing me and this one is for making me slap you!" He rubbed his chest, but I knew he wasn't really hurting. I was so lost in thought that I jumped when Embry cleared his throat.

"I didn't tell these stories for nothing Vinnie; I actually was planning to ask you, would you like to come with me on Sunday?" He sounded like he didn't want me to come, like he was waiting for me to say no.

"Of course I do! Would I miss a chance to meet vampires and stuff?" He sighed deeply, sounding very disappointed. I lifted my brows to him.

"Is this some stupid protecting Vinnie crap?" He smiled me a little, and I knew right away I had guessed right.

"I can't imagine why I would be in any danger if the house is full of werewolves and the vampires don't drink human blood."

"Accidents happen." He simply stated, clearly not wanting to keep talking about this subject.

"It's a deal then? You take me to Sam and Emily's in two weeks?" He just nodded, but I still knew that the promise was conclusive. I flashed him a bright smile and kissed his cheek. He groaned.

"Stop teasing me!" He complained and I had to hide my laughter.

"Come get me then." I whispered and run out of my room. I looked at the empty hallway. I knew my Mom and Dad were sleeping in their room, just two doors away from mine. This was way too risky, but exciting still.

"What are you thinking?!" Silent whisper asked me and I cried out loud. I hadn't heard anyone taking a step. His steps had been too silent for me to hear. He placed his hand on my mouth, breaking off my cry.

"If you say another word your dad will wake up and then we are in trouble. Well I'm at least I am." He crooned into my ear. He let his hand down and I took it. He lifted his brows and I suffocated my mischievous laughter.

"This is going to be a great adventure!" I stated as quiet as I could and led him to the stairs. He rolled his eyes to me, but didn't protest.

"If your father finds us in here, I won't be allowed in this house anymore." He mumbled, more to himself that to me.

"Don't be such wuss Embry, you'll hear him if he's coming downstairs." I reassured him and he muttered something I didn't catch.

I went straight to the fridge and was pretty glad to find Mom's Pavlova in there. Yummy, I had the worst sweet tooth ever. I was taking the cake out of the fridge and then I somehow managed to flip the milk can on to the floor. The milk was all over the floor and when I tried to put down the Pavlova, I somehow bring down the chair too. I grinned when I heard Mom and Dad's bedroom door open.

"Go to the bathroom, quickly!" I said to Embry and pointed the door to him. He just nodded and run to his hiding place. I had just put the chair back to its place when Dad walked in the kitchen, looking very tired.

"What are you doing Vinnie?" He asked and then noticed the milk on the floor.

"I'm sorry Dad, the Pavlova was too tempting and I had to come and take a piece of it, then I spilled the milk and then the chair fell over too." He accepted my explanations without a doubt.

"Okay, just try to be quiet please; I'll have to work tomorrow." I nodded and he was about to turn away, then looked at me again.

"Good night Vinnie." He looked pretty tired and then he yawned and then got back upstairs. I giggled silently and toweled the milk off the floor. After that I tiptoed to the bathroom door. I opened it without knocking. He was sitting on the floor, reading some stupid car magazine Dillon had left here.

"Whose is this?" He asked and flicked the magazine.

"It's Dillon's he's got a thing for cars." I stated and sat down with him. He smiled to me and came closer to me, taking my hand.

"I think we'll get along then." He was looking pretty happy with himself. I was a bit sad to bring him back to reality, just a bit thou.

"I'm sorry, but I doubt it, Dillon has kind of decided to hate you, so it takes a long time for him to like you." He smiled despite my words.

"I think I'll be around just long enough." He looked into my eyes and I had somehow lost the ability to speak. He leaned closer to me and pressed his lips against mine. This was the best night ever.

The weekend was great, I spend so much time with Embry that my Mom called me on Sunday, making sure I was still alive. It had been the best weekend I've ever had. When I headed back to school on Monday, I was still a bit high of Embry's presence.

I parked my car happily; nothing could ruin my perfect day. Then I saw Julie leaning against her car, looking very sad. When I looked towards the school building, I could see Russell walking angrily towards the doors. My mood was suddenly darker. I had forgotten all about Julie and Russell and their weird behavior.

I got out of the car and run to Julies side. I could see the tracks of the tears in her face. She sniffed and wiped the tears off her face.

"What's wrong?" I asked concerned; Julie never cried. She sniffed again and looked at me.

"I don't know what to do!" She cried and blinked her eyes, trying to stop the tears falling down her face.

"Oh, please Julie, tell me finally what's wrong with you? Why are you crying?" She shook her head, but started telling anyway.

"I just had a fight with Russell…" She looked so sad and I had no idea why she looked like it. Russell and Julie fought all the time, but it was never serious. This time seemed to be different. What could they have possibly been fighting about?

"I don't understand this. And if you don't tell me what's wrong, I can't help you." She nodded and took a deep breath.

"He came to me and said he was sick and tired of my behavior. He said that if I didn't tell him what's wrong, he wouldn't bother to ask me anymore. I tried to tell him I couldn't say that to him but then he got all mad and shouted that if I didn't want to be his friend I could have just said so. I tried to say that I didn't mean that, I wanted us to be friends, but he didn't listen. Then he walked away and after that you arrived." She finished, looking kind of better now. I furrowed my brows.

"Tell me, why have you been avoiding Russell?" This was the key question; I knew it right away when I had said it out loud. Julies face got all troubled and she didn't know what to tell me. After a while she sighed and lifted her gaze from the concrete to my eyes.

"You have to promise you'll tell no one." Her face was serious and pale. I nodded to her, surprised she even had to ask me for that.

"I-I think I'm in love with Russell." She confessed. My jaw dropped open. What the…?! I didn't saw that one coming!

"W-what? In love? For how long?" It was hard to me to create full sentences. Julie sighed and rubbed her face.

"Well, not in love I guess… But more than a crush, that's for sure. You remember when I started ignoring Russell? I realized it then. But I think it started earlier but I ignored that too." I was so amazed, I felt more puzzled now than when Embry had told me about werewolves.

"Okay… I wasn't expecting this." I said and smiled to her. I was surprised, but happy. Now when I thought it, Julie and Russell would make a perfect couple.

"Me neither, I'm so lost, I have no idea what to do." I rolled my eyes and laughed. Those words just weren't Julies; she always knew what to do.

"Hey, you're Julie, remember? The one with hundred and ten boyfriends?" I joked and Julie smiled a bit too.

"Yeah, I know what you mean, but I don't want to ruin this. You know how much I appreciate Russ as a friend. I don't want that to end. If I acted like I normally do, it would be over in two weeks. Can you imagine us being friends after that?" I shook my head. I could see where Julie was coming from. If this ended badly, their friendship was on the line.

"You just have to tell him." I said to her after a long pause. She shook her thoughts away and looked at me puzzled.

"Tell him what?"

"That you have a crush on him or something. I don't see any other answer, this is the only way. Because, if you keep acting like this, your friendship will be gone in that situation too." Julie thought what I had just said and nodded in agreement.

"I can't believe I'm doing this…" She muttered and walked into the class. Russell was sitting in there already, looking very angry but still sad. Julie looked at him and bit her lower lip. I smiled at my two best friends, not believing my eyes. I had never thought Russell and Julie being together was an option. Maybe it was because I didn't see Russell like that, he was just my friend. I loved them both and I hoped so much this would work out.

We took our seats and Julie kept glancing at Russell who gazed determinately at the blackboard, refusing to look at Julie and me.

"Could you talk to him first, just to see what he thinks of me right now?" Julie whispered into my ear, still gazing Russell.

"Of course. I'll talk to him on the lunch break." I promised to her. It brought a wide smile on Julie's sad face. She was a bit more optimistic about this already. I wasn't surprised about it; I was just relieved that the Julie I knew was coming back. Julie just had to be confident, and of course her confidence was getting back fast, she was Julie.

Even I was anxious about the lunch break, but not as anxious as Julie. She was almost jumping up and down on her seat. When we walked in the cafeteria, Russell was already sitting in our usual table, still angry and sad. We paid for our food with Julie and then took different route. I walked to Russell and Julie went to sit by her lacrosse friends.

Russell looked after Julie, with so many emotions in his face that I couldn't read even a one of them.

"Hi Vinnie." Russell said dully, not really looking at me at all. I smiled at him and got straight to the business.

"So, you're fighting with Julie?" I stated like I was talking about the weather. Russell grinned and sighed.

"Well, I can't help it, if she doesn't want to talk to me then…" I didn't ask what then, because I really wasn't interested.

"She wants to talk to you, she just doesn't know how." I tipped him; I had promised Julie not to tell him. He's face was puzzled.

"What are you talking about? She hadn't talked to me properly in weeks!"

"I would say you're stupid not realizing it, but I didn't either, so… How do you feel about her?"

"What do you mean? She's my best friend, no offense, and I want her back." I smiled at him and hoped he wasn't telling me everything.

"Just please think about what you feel for her, she'll talk to you in the end of the day." Now I had promised him, so Julie couldn't back off, not that she would. She might be scared, but I also knew she was too curious. She was think about the 'what if 'alternative. And so was I. What if they would start dating and I would be left all alone?

I was very curious to know what had happened after school. I wanted to know so badly, had Julie talked with Russell and what had she said and what he had answered. But of course I had my stupid soccer practice. Well it wasn't stupid, obviously, but it irritated me right now. Playing would take my mind of this drama, I was sure of it. But the temptation was almost too much to handle. Luckily I managed to get myself into the locker room before I would drive to Julie's and eavesdrop their conversation. That would've been mean and I convinced myself not to go there.

I was totally right, after I first touched the ball, I forgot all about Julie and Russell. Running felt so good and I couldn't get enough of it. Of course the practice was over too soon. I dragged myself into the locker room to shower. I was all sweaty and definitely needed a shower, but after the time Embry visited me, my team mates had been unbearable. They all kept glancing at me, like I was a very interesting animal in the zoo. I hated it and many times I had almost shouted at them, almost told them to spit it out.

When I stepped into the locker room, they were all glancing at me, like always. I tried to ignore them, but it was easier said than done. Michelle appeared on my left side, smiling sweetly. She sat down next to me and I tried to continue whatever I was doing. Feeling her eyes on my back was very uncomfortable. Finally I turned my eyes on her and lifted my brows.

"Vinnie, do you still date that guy, what was his name? It started with e, I think…" I rolled my eyes, not believing this. Couldn't they just mind their own business? For a second a considered not to answer her, but that would just bring up more stupid questions.

"It's Embry and yes, I am." The girls exchanged some enthusiastic looks.

"Does he happen to have any friends?" Michelle asked and many of the girls giggled. So, boyfriend hunting, huh?

"Oh sure, he has plenty, they all look just like him!" I said and smiled widely, telling her exactly what she wanted to hear.

"Really? Are they available?" They were literally jumping of their seats.

"They're almost all taken. I think Brady and Collin are available." I almost lost it; thank god I was so good at keeping up my poker face.

"So, can I have their numbers or something?"

"Sure, if you want to be arrested from child abuse, they're like fifteen." I said cheerfully. Their faces literally dropped. This was so worth it. I calmly undressed myself, took the shower, just to find all of them sitting right where I left them.

"Bye girls!" I waved at them after a couple of minutes; all of them were still wearing their uniforms and talking angrily. I really pissed them off. God, I had enjoyed it.

I was on call by the phone all the evening. No one called. Embry send me one text message, informing me that he was on patrol today. I was so bored and I actually did my home work properly. I didn't want to call to Julie incase she was still talking to Russell. But if she wasn't and she was too sad to call, was I bad friend? Gladly I didn't have to wait that long. My cell rang and I rushed to answer it. It was Julie, great!

"Julie?" I answered my phone. It was quiet in the other end. No one said anything, but I could hear someone breathing.

"Are you there? Say something!" Then she sniffed. No, no, I didn't want her to cry. That so wasn't the plan. How could Russell be such an ass? They would have made an excellent couple.

"I'm so sorry Julie; I shouldn't have pressured you to talk to him. Do want me there?" She sniffed again, but it sounded kind of odd.

"Please Julie, tell me how you feel. You feel better after that, I promise." I felt so weak when Julie cried. She was always so strong and when she cried, it was a big problem.

"I-I feel… I don't know how to say this Vinnie…" She muttered quietly.

"Just let it out." I tried to instruct her, but I was so bad at this. My advices must've sounded weird, because I hear some kind of sound that reminded me of laughing.

"I feel great, freaking awesome!" What?

"Are you okay?" I was getting worried know. Julie's mental health clearly wasn't very good.

"I'm better than okay!"

"You talked to Russell right?"

"Yes, that's why I'm so freaking happy!" No way! She was cruel!

"You tricked me!" I shouted her and she laughed.

"Oh Vinnie, you're so easily fooled!"

"I thought that you were miserable! I tried to comfort you and you evilly fooled me, this so isn't fair." She let out a long fake yawn.

"Do you want to hear what happened, or do you want to hear what happened?" Oh, she knew me so well. The old Julie was back. Whatever Russell told her had done its trick.

So I lose myself into Julie's story, hoping I wouldn't get all the dirty details. Welcome back Julie.

**A/N: Did you like it? I really hope you review and tell me what you thought of it. If this chapter was a bit boring for you, I promise I make it up to you in the next chapter ;)**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hi guys! Here comes the chapter 17! This is a little bit shorter than the last few chapters, but I promise I make it up to you in the next chapter. I have already written it, and it's the longest one yet. So, this isn't about Embry meeting Vinnie's family, that's in the chapter 18. But I really hope you find this one entertaining.**

**Thanks so much for all you who reviewed!**

**Thanks **_**SweetnSpoiledx93**_** for your reviews for the chapters 15 and 16.**

_**CallmeEmbrys**_**, I love it that you love this too, thanks so much.**

_**Superdani**_**, your reviews are the sweetest, thank you!**

_**jazminadra**_**, thanks for the awesome review, I can't wait Vinnie to meet the Cullens either!**

_**charmed-ireland**_**, glad you loved the chasing part, thanks.**

_**twilightluver919**_**, I won't give it up, I promise, thank you.**

**Thank you **_**V.A.R.-11**_** and you too **_**clumsyyhouseaddict**_**!**

**Disclaimer: Meyer owns Twilight, I don't own _Dirty dancing, You're my best friend from Queen _or_ No sex allowed._**** :D**

Chapter 17 (Embry's POV) 

Days were passing by quickly. Sunday was getting closer and closer. I actually waited to meet Vinnie's family, but still, I was terrified of it. Before I noticed, it was Friday, all too soon. This meeting was important to me. Vinnie said she didn't care if her brothers and father didn't like me, but I did. I was so desperate to be worth her. I had to earn my place in her life. If she could hear my thoughts now, she would laugh. But she couldn't understand this, and she didn't have to understand. I would do anything that would make her happy, anything she would request.

I was sitting in my car, looking through the stream of people, waiting for her. I was glad she had managed to change shifts with her co-worker. Fridays were always so lonely to me because Vinnie was always working. But from now on, she'd be completely mine on Fridays. I smirked to myself and then the long black hair caught my eye. I sighed when I could see her clearly. If this was my life on earth, what would heaven be like? It could not get any better than this, unless I would get to be with her twenty-four seven.

She hadn't seen me yet; she was walking with her friends who were holding each other's hand. Oh right I remembered, Vinnie had mentioned that her two best friends had finally found each other. I could imagine how she was feeling. Her feelings must've been something like mine when all my friends had imprinted and I was the odd man out. Thank god she had me; I laughed at my own thoughts and opened the car door.

She turned to look straightly into my direction. She had been smiling before, but it hadn't been anything compared to this smile. I doubted if person could ever look any happier.

She run to me, wrapped her arms around me and kissed me long, but not so sweet. I could hear laughs and coughs, trying to interrupt us, but neither of us cared. I cared just for Vinnie. If this didn't bother her, it didn't bother me either. I chuckled when she had to let me go, she needed air. She still didn't let me go; her arms were around my waist. I put my hand behind her head and bring it closer to my chest. I kissed the top of her head and caught sight of Julie and Russell. Russell was looking at us, his face full of concern. He was like an overprotective brother. And maybe he was something like that to Vinnie.

Then there was Julie, smiling, laughing. She was smirking and I could see her forming the words 'you go girl' on her lips. If these were the reactions of Vinnie's friends about our relationship, what would the family's reactions be? I had a little while longer just with Vinnie, and I didn't want to think anything else.

"You came." She stated gladly, but still breathless.

"Of course I came, I don't want to spend the whole Friday without you." She smiled and I looked around. I chuckled at her, she was so silly.

"Where's your car?" She smiled guiltily.

"I came with Russell and Julie."

"You knew I was coming, right?"

"Maybe." She didn't say anything else, just waved at her friends and hopped into the car. I copied her and then started the engine. Just for a while I stared at Vinnie, taking all her beauty in. She was just so perfect.

"Are we going anywhere?" She joked and waked me up. I laughed and drove away from the parking lot.

"You know what? We have the whole house to ourselves. Dad's on a business trip and Mom's spending the whole day at aunt Lena's. She's going to spend the night there, catching up with her sister. I have no idea why would anyone want to catch up with my aunt. That would mean hours of talk about her neighbors and so on. Dillon and Stephan are supposed to be home tomorrow afternoon. So if you want, you can stay over." She was smiling to me like we were in some great plan together. Well, of course I didn't object. Like I would ever turn down an offer to sleep next to her.

"Oh, and maybe you shouldn't leave your truck on our driveway. Our neighbors get too nosy sometimes. There's a gas station, park there. We can walk from there." I smiled. She had planned everything so well. I suppose she really didn't want her father to know I was spending the night in his house. Not that we were doing anything more than kissing anyway. But still, who would want your daughter's boyfriend to sleep in the same bed with her under your roof? If I was ever going to have a daughter, I was so going to lock her in her room as soon as she would turn thirteen. Of course Vinnie wouldn't allow it.

What the hell was I thinking? Kids were a thing far away in the future. I didn't honestly even know if Vinnie wanted kids or not.

I made myself forget all about kids and stuff when Vinnie opened their front door.

At once I felt like I had come home. Somehow Vinnie's home was my home too. Seeing Vinnie so at ease sitting by the kitchen table made me feel at ease too.

We ate and made our homework. Math couldn't interest me less, but Vinnie said she wouldn't kiss me if I didn't do my homework. That made me work twice as hard and fast as I normally did. The night flew by way too quickly. I was glad of the time I could just stare at her.

She had picked up a movie to watch.

"Dirty Dancing? Are you serious Vinnie?!" My un-girly girl who loved romantic movies? She was so confusing sometimes. I stared at the DVD covers and furrowed my brows. Vinnie laughed at me and took the DVD away from me.

"In case you didn't know, I love this movie. I wish I could dance like Baby." She sighed and put the disc into the DVD player.

"Yeah, I think you actually mentioned that once, or twice. And who the hell is Baby?" Vinnie laughed at my expression.

"You just have to see it by yourself." She pressed the play button and the movie started. The girl in the screen was blonde and her hair was really curly.

"_That was the summer of 1963 - when everybody called me Baby, and it didn't occur to me to mind…"_ So the mystery of Baby was solved right in the beginning and I could focus on Vinnie.

I was sure she cried a little, but I couldn't say in which part, because I had no idea what was happening in this old movie that totally sucked.

Movie time was great; I could be so close to Vinnie. The wordless communication between us was something great. She just had to look at me with a meaningful look in her beautiful face and I would know exactly that she wanted more popcorn. Okay, that doesn't sound so great, but hey, I'm not a mind reader.

It was about seven o'clock when the boring movie ended. Vinnie was smiling widely, happy to see her favorite movie again. She had banned me from kissing her during the movie because she wanted to see every second of it. I was very frustrated to keep my lips away from Vinnie for one and a half hours while some other couple was kissing on the screen. Now, I wanted to make up for the lost time.

Vinnie was getting up from the couch, but I simply couldn't let her do that. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her back to me. She lost her balance and fell down in to my lap.

"Hey there," I breathed into her ear and pressed my lips against her throat. She moaned and was about to turn over but then her ring tone filled the room.

"_Ooh you make me live_

_Whatever this world can give to me_

_It's you you're all I see_

_Ooo you make me live now honey_

_Ooo you make me live!"_

Freddie Mercury sang and Vinnie sighed. She took the phone from her pocket and answered it.

"Hi Julie." Vinnie greeted with no enthusiasm in her voice. I could hear Julie laughing to Vinnie's tone.

"Bad time or what?" Julie laughed again. Vinnie grunted and get up from my lap, heading straight into the kitchen. I didn't want to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help it.

"What is it Julie?" Vinnie's voice was kind of angry, but a little bit interested. Julie's voice was very quiet, but I could still hear it.

"Oh it's nothing, I'm very sorry to interrupt you." Julie said, but even I could hear she was very thrilled about something.

"Just spit it out Julie." Vinnie said with a bored tone. Julie giggled a little and then cleared her throat.

"You can't believe this. Even I have a hard time understanding it." Vinnie stayed quiet, waiting for her best friend to finally tell her what was so important to interrupt us. I'm sure Vinnie hoped as much as I did that Julie's news were worth the break.

"Russell kissed me!" Julie spit out and then I hear a big clang from the kitchen. Vinnie had apparently dropped the large metallic bowl which was full of fruits. I got up and walked very fast to the kitchen to help Vinnie.

She jumped when she noticed me; apparently she hadn't seen me coming.

"Are you there Vinnie? Did you just drop something?" Julie's voice asked and woke Vinnie up.

"Yeah I did. Just wait a second Julie, Embry's eavesdropping us." Julie laughed and Vinnie pressed the phone against chest, not letting Julie to hear what ever she'd say.

"What are you doing?" She whispered with and irritated expression on her face. I bend down and started putting the apples back to the bowl.

"I'm just helping you." I murmured and put the grapes on top of the apples.

"You're trying to eavesdrop on me!" Her face was not angry; actually she looked like she could burst into laughter at any moment.

"I don't have to be in this room to eavesdrop you!" I said and picked up the bowl - that was now full – and put it back to the counter.

I was too close to Vinnie. Her lips were parted and her breathing became heavy. It didn't take me long to press my lips into hers and slide my hands down to her waist. Vinnie's tongue was just about to touch mine…

"What the hell is happening?" Julie's voice interrupted us. Vinnie moaned, not wanting to let me go just yet. She softly bit my lower lip and it took my whole self control to let her go. Vinnie lifted the phone back to her ear, still looking at me.

I sat down to the chair by the kitchen table. I totally needed a cold shower.

I didn't hear much of the rest of the phone call. After Vinnie hung up, I took her to upstairs. Obviously nothing happened. Nothing that any parent could be worried about. Okay, maybe someone could have a little bit freaked out when Vinnie just suddenly ripped of my t-shirt and breathed to my ear that the shirt was totally unnecessary. And I kind of didn't keep my hands to myself, but despite that, we had been very good. Out of nowhere this image of American Idol a couple of years ago filled my mind. There had been some crazy guy singing something like 'no sex allowed'. I laughed to myself and Vinnie looked up to me.

We were lying on her bed like so many nights before.

"Oh it's nothing, just remembering some stupid TV show." Vinnie nodded and yawned. She was under the covers, all sleepy.

"Why don't you get under the blanket with me?" She asked suggestively. I laughed and ruffled her hair.

"First of all, I would get pretty hot under the blanket. And second of all, I don't know if I can get closer to you than this." It was Vinnie's time to chuckle. I was speaking the absolute truth; I felt hot even now, just wearing a pair of shorts, no shirt. And being so close to Vinnie, well, I wouldn't mind, but she would not get any sleep and her brothers were coming tomorrow.

"Then why are you wearing those shorts?" She said and pointed my old jeans that I had shortened to shorts.

"I don't know. I don't want you to feel awkward?" I kind of asked her, not really knowing why I always kept my pants on when I was at Vinnie's. Okay, that sounded a little bit pervert, but I had boxers under my shorts, I swear.

Vinnie rolled closer to me biting her lower lip, staring straight into my eyes.

"That wouldn't make me feel awkward. Would it make you feel awkward?" She was provoking me and I just couldn't help it. I just had to do it. I jumped off the bed, taking my shorts off. I was really glad that I had put on just the plain black boxers and not the ones that my Granny gave me last Christmas. Reindeer, ugh.

I turned to face Vinnie. She was still biting her lips, harder this time. I could hear her heart beating faster that usually. I chuckled to her and jumped back to the bed. I put my face close to hers, so that my lips almost touched her ear.

"Happy now? Like to see me half naked?" I partly joked, and partly asked it seriously.

"Yeah, I'm totally happy. You could be like this more often." She was playing with me; luckily I was able to play along.

"How about I take it all off?" I whispered and Vinnie's heart missed a beat. She breathed heavily.

"Hmm… Okay?" This was so rare! Vinnie always knew exactly what to say, she never hesitated. I laughed and lay down next to her.

"I was just joking, okay?" She rolled her eyes but came closer to me. She put her head down to my chest and listened.

"I can hear your heart beat." She whispered and tapped the rhythm with her fingers against my chest.

"I can hear yours too." I started tapping the rhythm against Vinnie's back. Her heart was beating faster than mine, but normally to human. My body was in such a good shape that my heart was able to beat really slowly.

Vinnie was listening to my heart when she fell asleep. I brushed my fingers through her forehead and placed a kiss on the top of her head. I yawned too and turned off the lights.

It was too early. I grunted and turned over. I sighed when I realized I had to go to the bathroom. I had apparently kicked off the covers and Vinnie had wrapped herself into it. She looked so beautiful and peaceful. I yawned, not keeping my eyes open properly when I get up from the bed. I dragged myself down the hall way, to the bath room. I didn't bother to lock the door up; Vinnie wasn't going to wake up anytime soon.

I was about to drop my boxers when someone opened the door. I screamed loudly and so did he. He? What the hell?

"Who the hell are you?!" A low voice called. He was very angry and confused. I was still sleepy, but this totally woke me up. The man was probably older than me, but physically I looked older than he was. He was around nineteen or twenty, not a boy anymore. He was way smaller than I was, but still he was about 6'2'' tall.

As I looked his facial features I knew who he was. His hair was short, his eyes were brown and his skin was darker, but they looked exactly like each other. And even if I hadn't noticed how much they looked the same, I would have recognized him from the picture that was on the fridge door in this house.

"I'm Embry Call. You must be Dillon." Dillon opened his mouth and then closed it. If this situation wouldn't have happened to me, I would be laughing, so hilarious it was.

"If you excuse me just for a minute, I really have to use the bathroom." I said, really, really needing to use the bathroom. Dillon stepped outside and I could hear that he stayed in place. Apparently he wanted to say something to me before meeting his beloved baby sister.

Way too soon for my liking I had to get out of the bathroom. Dillon was leaning against the wall, looking very pissed. I was a bit scared, not that he could hurt me, but this so wasn't part of my plan. I wanted to have a good relationship with Vinnie's brothers and I had blown off my chances. But now I just had to do everything I could just to make Dillon stop hating me.

"So… Good morning?" I started after a long silence. He popped his joints in his fingers and stared at me.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded. I winced and decided to tell him the truth. He had kind of deserved it when he had found his sister's boyfriend in his parents' house, wearing nothing but boxers.

"Well, Vinnie kind of asked me to stay over." She had asked me to stay, like every other night…

"Okay then. Why are you wearing just your underwear?" Now he was staring me with so much hatred in his eyes. If looks could kill…

"My body temperature is pretty high, I get hot easily." I told him the truth again, just leaving some vital things out. Dillon grunted his brows. Then he asked the most important question to him.

"Where do you sleep?" I sighed. I knew it was coming. I gestured to Vinnie's room. Dillon pressed his lips tightly together and pointed me to follow him.

Dillon walked to Vinnie's door, opened it without knocking. Vinnie wasn't sleeping anymore, but she was very sleepy still. She yawned and stretched her arms. I was glad Vinnie had a proper outfit to wear while sleeping.

"Embry, get back here, I'm getting cold." I glanced at Dillon's face. He was muttering something that I thought was 'horny teenagers'. It was very hard for me not to do exactly what Vinnie asked for, but the look in Dillon's face stopped me.

"Good morning Vinnie." Dillon pronounced calmly. But it was just in the surface, I knew he was boiling under it.

"Oh shut up Dillon." She murmured, not understanding what she was talking about. She was silent for a while. Then she jumped off the bed.

"Dillon! You're not supposed to be here!" Her grey eyes were locked into mine, searching some kind of an explanation. I just shrugged. I didn't know what to do, so I just watched a brother and a sister staring at each other.

"I changed my tickets so I could spend more time with my sister I haven't seen in like two months. Then I found this guy", he pointed at me," in our bathroom, telling me you asked him to stay over!" Dillon shouted.

"So what! I haven't done anything I couldn't tell you! I'm just sleeping next to him, not with him!" Vinnie shouted, looking pretty angry. Dillon lifted his brows.

"Oh you're just sleeping, like I would believe that. I know what guys think Vinnie!"

"This is not about you Dillon! It's not me who had a thousand girls in my bed ever night after turning fifteen!" Oh, okay, maybe she was exaggerating a little bit. This was somewhat fun to watch, but all I wanted to do was to defend Vinnie. I didn't do it, because I knew that Vinnie would just yell at me too. Then the atmosphere changed. Dillon's angry face started cracking up, he was about to smile. He burst into laughter.

"Well yeah, I never saw you as a lesbian!" He was laughing hard. I grunted my brows and looked at Vinnie whose mouth was also tugging. Then she burst into laughter too. They were both laughing so hard that tears started running down their faces. I scratched my head, really confused now. I seriously had thought they would rip each other's throats open.

"So is everything like okay?" Asked and the laughter stopped. Dillon started murderously at me. So, it wasn't okay.

"Does Mom or Dad know he's here?" Dillon asked, looking now only at Vinnie. Vinnie's face went all pale and white. She shook her head with a terrified expression in her face. I was about to go comfort Vinnie, but she shoot me with a warning glance.

"God no! You know Dad would slaughter Embry if he knew! Mom might accept, but I don't want to risk it. They would directly think that I'm having sex, and just that you know, I'm as virgin as ever." Dillon just nodded.

"Okay, okay. But honestly, if you weren't, you would say the same." Vinnie grinned.

"Maybe. But if you want, I can call you right away after we've done it." Dillon grunted, not happy at all with Vinnie's promise.

"Okay, you don't talk about your sex life and I won't talk about mine." Vinnie laughed happily and lifted her brows.

"Oh please! You don't talk to me anything else than sex! And then you're wondering why I have half naked guy in my bedroom?"

All three of us went down for breakfast after I had put some clothes on. I suddenly didn't feel so comfortable being around just in my boxer - I wonder why that was, I thought sarcastically. Dillon still kept glancing at me pretty badly, but Vinnie was trying to get his attention into other stuff.

"You can't believe this!" Vinnie said when she was fixing us some breakfast. I knew she couldn't cook at all, but she had insisted frying eggs for us. I had offered my help for her, but of course she had refused.

"Try me." Dillon said lazily, still eyeing me murderously. I tried to ignore him and it was quite easy, since Vinnie looked so hot cooking breakfast for me. Okay, the older brother cooled me down a bit, otherwise I would have been kissing Vinnie's neck, telling her just how much I loved her…

"Russell and Julie are dating!" She pronounced and Dillon did look kind of surprised. Vinnie and Dillon chattered about things they had missed in each other's lives while Dillon had been in college. I felt like an outsider sitting there between two siblings who hadn't met in a while. I had to confess too, that I was feeling a little bit jealous of their relationship. Of course I had my brothers in the pack, but they weren't biologically my brothers. I had been the only child and I had been living with my Mom forever. I didn't know who my father was and if I was being honest I didn't even want to know. The knowledge would hurt some of my pack members too much. I knew I had a brother, but if it was Jake or Quil, I couldn't enjoy it. And it would surely ruin their image of their father's. I knew Sam wouldn't care; his father never was much of a dad to him. Sometimes I missed the knowledge but I knew it would be insignificant. I was pulled back to the reality when I heard Dillon talk about me.

"When is he leaving?" He asked and pointed at me with his thumb. Vinnie rolled her eyes at her brother and sighed.

"Embry can stay as long as he wants to." Vinnie said and crossed her arms. I smiled at her and stood up.

"That's nice of you Vinnie, but I really have to go. I promised to meet Jake and Quil and Mom haven't seen me in ages." I could have blown all that off, but I knew how much Vinnie had missed her brother and I wanted to give them some alone time.

Vinnie's face fell when she heard my words. I gave her a weak smile. Her expression was making it very hard for me to go, but I knew she would appreciate it later.

"Are you coming later today?" She pleaded, giving her puppy eyes to me. I smiled at her and ruffled her hair.

"Don't you want some time with your family? You haven't seen your brothers in ages." Vinnie sneered, not liking the idea too much.

"Okay then, maybe I can survive without you for twenty-four hours. You could come by a little earlier tomorrow, you know."

"Okay, I'll give you a call tomorrow morning. Should I bring something with me?"

"No, just bring yourself." Vinnie purred and stood up too. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her lips lightly against mine. I deepened the kiss, but then Dillon reminded us he was present and I let go of Vinnie.

"I'll go now. Thanks for the breakfast Vinnie. It was nice to meet you Dillon." I murmured the last sentence and he nodded to me. Vinnie followed me to the porch.

"I'll miss you so much while you're not here." She murmured and hugged me tightly. I kissed her hair gently and lifted her chin so I could see her beautiful eyes.

"I'll miss you more. You need some time with your brothers anyway." Vinnie shook her hair and pressed herself tighter against me.

"I don't need anything but you." She sighed and pressed her lips against mine. Her lips tasted like oranges and eggs and bacon and something else and it was mind blowing as always. It was just too bad I could feel that Dillon was spying us. My lips parted from Vinnie's and I just had to chuckle when she protested.

"I'll think of you every second I'm not with you." I promised to Vinnie.

"I love you Embry."

"You have no idea how much you mean to me." I said and kissed her lips lightly. I began walking away. At the end of Vinnie's driveway I turned around and shouted:

"I love you too Vinnie, more than anything!" She flashed me beautiful smile.

"Silly boy." She murmured to herself, but of course I heard it. Vinnie disappeared into the house and I had no other option that to go back to La Push, spend some time with Mom and the pack and freak out about the dinner tomorrow evening. I just had to hope it was going to be alright.

**A/N: Review, please! This story is on 41 favorite lists and 56 alert list so it shouldn't be a problem to get a couple more reviews, right? :) And wow, Frozen Windows has**

**10 000 + hits! Thanks guys!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:**

**Hi guys! I'm so, so terribly sorry! This took me so long because the start of my new school, I have been so busy. I hope you forgive me (and remember this story still). I try to make room for writing this more often, but this IB school takes so much more time than the last school.**

**I got some pretty awesome reviews for the chapter 17, so thanks. I got total 14 reviews, that's the record so far! I got so many and I'm so busy again, that I don't thank you individually like I usually do, but special thanks to them who reviewed! **

**I hope you like this chapter; Embry's finally meeting all the Hughes! And he gets some information he shouldn't…**

**Disclaimer: It's all Meyer's.**

Chapter 18 (Embry's POV)

Speaking of freaking out, I had never experienced it like this. My hands were all sweaty and I was constantly fidgeting on my seat. Emily poured me some orange juice and I sipped it, tasting nothing. I'd have to leave in fifteen minutes, and I was so nervous. This was worse than anything I had ever experienced before. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down, but it wasn't helping. I kept glancing at the clock and my brothers kept rolling their eyes at me.

"Hey Embry, promise me you don't screw this up. I'd like to see Vinnie again, you know." Quil said smirking at me. I could have smirked back at him and found his statement funny in every other day, but not today. I just stared at him and he sighed.

"It'll go great." Jake reassured me and patted my shoulder. I nodded, but didn't say anything out loud. I was paralyzed; I hoped that I was still able to drive my car down to Port Angeles. After sitting in the silence for fifteen more minutes I get up from my chair.

"I have to go now. Wish me luck." I murmured and suddenly Emily's arms were around me and she was crying, again.

"Oh Embry! Everything is going to be great. They'll love you, I'm sure of that." Emily sniffed and dried her eyes with a tissue. I hugged her tightly and tried to stay calm.

"Thanks Emily, that means a lot to me." Then my brothers were all around me, smiling and wishing me good luck.

"If they don't like you, it doesn't matter, Vinnie loves you man and I know that's enough for you." Jake said to me and smiled. I felt instantly better, but only a little bit.

"Thanks, I really got to get going right now. I don't want to be late!" I tried to smirk at them, but didn't quite pull that off. I sighed and turned to face my truck. God I hoped this wasn't my trip to hell.

The drive down to Port Angeles wasn't long at all. Way too soon I was there, parking my car next to Vinnie's red Toyota. I was anxious to see her, touch her, kiss her… But tonight that was out of the question. I took a deep breath and walked to the front door. I was about to knock, but the door flew open before my knuckles touched the wooden surface.

"I thought you'd never come, I can't stand this on my own!" Vinnie muttered and threw her arms around me.

"I got you something!" I said with a smile but she eyed me suspiciously. I rolled my eyes and handed her the flowers I had been holding behind my back.

"Flowers, Embry? You know me better than that." She mocked but took the flowers in her hand and let me finally in.

"What, aren't you honored because of my chivalrous gesture?" I smirked at her and she hit me to my shoulder, hurting herself more than me.

"I know these aren't for me! It's part of your act." She said and winked at me.

"You can see right through me." I stated, not too pleased with myself. She knew me so well.

"That's what girlfriends are for." She whispered and kissed my cheek. She walked me to the kitchen first. I could hear her dad and brothers in the living room. They hadn't heard me coming, thankfully.

Vinnie's mom was on the kitchen, by the stove, cooking something that smelled very good. Mrs. Hughes didn't hear us coming and when Vinnie cleared her throat, she jumped. She turned around and her face lightened up when she saw Vinnie and me.

"Oh Embry! You're here already." She said with a smile, trying to smooth the crinkles in her skirt.

"Yes, I didn't want to be late. It's nice to see you again Mrs. Hughes." I said and offered my hand to her so that she could shake it.

"Please Embry, call me Calla." She said and ignored my hand and hugged me instead. I saw Vinnie rolling her eyes to her mother and I tried very hard not to laugh at her expression. Finally Mrs. Hughes, Calla, let me go and she spotted the flowers in Vinnie's hand that Kim had so eagerly picked for Vinnie.

"Embry brought you flowers!" She cried and nabbed the bush out of Vinnie's hand.

"Whatever, you can have them…" Vinnie muttered too low for her mother to hear. I smiled at her and I had to try so hard just not to walk by her side and kiss her breathless.

"Embry would you be kind and get that white vase for me?" Mrs. Hughes asked me and pointed at the top shelf of the cupboard. I nodded and gave it to her and she added some water and then put the flowers in. Mrs. Hughes gave the vase to Vinnie and she lifted her perfectly arched eyebrow. I still had hard time believing that something so beautiful loved me. I was about to start dreaming about Vinnie when her mother's words brought me harshly back to the reality.

"You go and take them to the living-room. Oh, and introduce Embry to your father and brothers." I swallowed and grinned at Vinnie. She grinned back at me, but looked somewhat amused. I couldn't see the fun part in this situation. Vinnie put the vase in her right hand and took my hand in her left one. Vinnie's touch made me immediately calmer and for a second I thought they were going to like me.

But my delusions faded as soon as we walked into the living room and I saw Dillon's face. He hadn't told their parents about me being in here, sleeping, and I was so glad he hadn't. That would have made my life so much more complicated. But in this situation, I wasn't going to win him to my side. He had seen me in the bathroom half naked and then I had told him I was sleeping in his sister's room. And Vinnie had made things better yelling him all kinds of things about our not-just-yet-existing sex life.

The other two men were eyeing at me too, but maybe a little bit more politely. Vinnie's father was dark-skinned forty-something man, who had very short hair and a matter of a fact face. Stephan looked the most accepting and looked like he was trying to smile. He didn't look as much like Vinnie like his brother did. Dillon and Vinnie looked more like their mom, but Stephan shared his looks with his father.

The whole room was silent for a long time. I felt like should say something, but it seemed that everyone was waiting for Vinnie to say something. I squeezed her hand lightly and she took a deep breath.

"Dad, Dillon, Stephan, I'd like you to meet Embry Call, my boyfriend." She said finally and smiled a little. I was smiling too, but just because Vinnie was. All three men stood up and Vinnie's father walked to me and I shook his hand.

"It's very nice to meet you Mr. Hughes." I said and he nodded.

"You too Embry." He replied, but didn't look like it was nice at all to meet me. He also didn't ask me to call him by his first name either, but I really hadn't expected that.

Vinnie's dad sat down to his chair and Stephan approached me. He shook my hand too and smiled even a little. Stephan wasn't really as bad as Vinnie had claimed.

Finally Dillon stood up and it was really awkward to introduce myself to him.

"Hi, I'm Embry." I muttered and shook his hand. He rolled his eyes just like Vinnie always did.

"Yeah, you probably know that I'm Dillon." He said, hiding the sarcastic tone pretty well. For a while Vinnie and I just stood there, looking at each other and Vinnie seemed to be enjoying herself. Vinnie's father gestured us to sit down on the couch. I tried not to sit too close to Vinnie, you know, respect her father and all, but it was hard because Vinnie was constantly moving closer to me touching me. The silence thankfully didn't last that long. I couldn't come up with anything to talk about.

"Vinnie, your mother might need you in the kitchen." Well that wasn't exactly what I was hoping for. I couldn't do this by myself. Vinnie sighed and stared at her father.

"Seriously dad? You know I can hardly make toast." That made Mr. Hughes go silent for a while but he recovered fast.

"Well maybe you could help her to set the table." Vinnie stood up and I was ready to go with her, but she shook his head.

"I'm sorry Embry, but my father here wants to talk to you about me and I'm not supposed to hear it. So I'll just be in the kitchen and try to eavesdrop on you. I hope they don't eat you, 'cause I really love you." She said, not ashamed at all that her father and brothers heard all that. I would have been embarrassed, but I just had to say the words back to her every time, there were no exceptions.

"I think I'll be okay. And I love you too." Vinnie smirked at me devilishly and disappeared into the kitchen. I took a deep breath, I was ready for this, I had to be.

Everyone in the living-room was staring at me and I tried to smile at them, but I think it came out more like a wince than a smile.

I was glad I didn't have to start this conversation, but then again, I would have been a lot happier if Mr. Hughes hadn't asked me questions like that.

"Embry, let's leave the lighter topics to the dinner table. So, what do you want from my daughter?" He asked and leaned forward so he could see me better. I swallowed. What the hell was I supposed to say? That I was going to marry his daughter someday, have babies with her? That was far away in the future, but I knew it was going to happen; it was going to happen with everyone in my pack. Or should I have told him what I thought every time I saw his daughter lying in her bed and looking me with hungry eyes? I had no idea what to tell him.

"I-I just want to be with her." I stuttered and tried not to look away from Mr. Hughes eyes. He was staring at me expressionless. I hoped I had said the right words. Because I had told him the truth, but just left some parts of the truth aside. He didn't have to know everything.

Finally Mr. Hughes just nodded and I exhaled with a relief. I hoped that the whole dinner wasn't going to be like this.

"You're Vinnie's first boyfriends, so treat her good. And if you hurt her, you have to answer that to me." He said his face still like a mask.

"I won't hurt her, ever. I promise that to you, sir." I said and looked deeply into his eyes so he would know I was telling the truth. And just to be honest, I would be the one to suffer the most if Vinnie ever got hurt, by me or anyone else.

"You seem to be a good guy Embry, but I have to look after my daughter." I nodded thinking exactly the same thing. But then again, I was the one sneaking up to her room almost every night. Well, I didn't mean any harm by it; we weren't doing anything after all.

"Yes, I know that, sir." I said and saw Dillon staring at me. He grinned, but didn't look as angry as earlier.

After a minute of silence Mrs. Hughes was standing in the threshold of the living-room and smiling brightly.

"Dinner is ready." She announced and we got up from our seats. Mr. Hughes smiled to his wife and took her hand. Vinnie had such a good and loving family. I was a little bit jealous of her, but that passed quickly when Dillon walked by my side and stopped there.

"I won't tell my parents about your nightly visit in Vinnie's room, but just because I don't want to get her into trouble. I believe what she tells me. But if she tells me you hurt her, even just a little bit, I might slip something." He threatened me and I just had to roll my eyes to him.

"Like I said earlier, I won't hurt her, I love her." The last part just slipped out and Dillon raised his brows.

"Sometimes you might confuse lust and love." He said with a low voice and eyed me murderously.

"No, really Dillon, I do love her, more than anything. And Vinnie really wasn't lying to you, I just sleep up there." I said and pointed at the ceiling.

"I know Vinnie isn't lying to me, she tells me practically everything. And she's a bad liar. You say you love her now, but how long have you known her, a month?"

"You don't know what our relationship is like. Vinnie loves me and she is the most important thing in my life, you have to get that." Dillon nodded, like he didn't have any other options. I could see he didn't believe me completely, but he just couldn't miss the honest tone in my voice.

"Okay Embry, just don't fuck up with her!" He hissed at me and laughed at the double meaning of his words and started walking toward the dining room and I followed him.

The table had been set beautifully and I knew right away that Vinnie hadn't set it. Honestly, she didn't have eye for things like colors and fabrics. She was Vinnie after all; all she cared was soccer, me and her friends and family. Superficial was the one word that could never been used to describe Vinnie, ever.

Vinnie and the rest of her family were already sitting. Her parents were sitting at the ends of the table and Stephan had sat down next to Vinnie. I sat down quickly so I could be at least facing her. Dillon sat down next to me and looked at me once more with the murderous look of his. I tried to ignore it and it was pretty easy since Vinnie was smiling me like she did when we were alone in her room, making out. She touched my leg with hers and it took me a lot to keep my face serene. She bit her lip and left her mouth a little bit open. All kinds of things started running through my mind and none of them were that kind of things I would like to anyone to hear. Thank god no one in here was a mindreading vampire.

"This smells good mom!" Dillon said and was about to grab the pot full of some kind of a casserole. Mrs. Hughes slapped his son's hand and he let go of the pot.

"Let Embry take some first, don't be rude." She said and Dillon rolled his eyes.

"But mom, I had been living with pizza for months!" He whined and his mother looked embarrassed.

"Then learn how to cook. Here, take some paella Embry." She offered and pushed the paella closer to me. I smiled at her and took some paella on my plate, not really even looking what the hell it was.

Vinnie was still eyeing me and smiling and all I wanted to do was to get out of the dining room to her bedroom. Vinnie looked like the same I felt, but maybe it was just my imagination playing tricks on me.

Everyone took some paella and then Dillon started to stuff the food into his mouth very quickly. He couldn't possibly even taste anything. I tasted it too, and it was really good. I had lost my appetite on my way down here, but now after the quick talk with only Mr. Hughes and Vinnie's brothers was over, I gain it back. I didn't want to be rude, so I ate as slowly as I could and remembered to tell Mrs. Hughes how wonderful it tasted. Vinnie rolled her eyes and mouthed me something like 'toady'. I ignored her and praised Mrs. Hughes cooking skills.

"This is wonderful; I wish I could have this tasty food every day." I said and I swear Mrs. Hughes blushed just a little bit.

"Is this like some kind of a secret message for me? Learn how to cook, Vinnie!" Vinnie asked, but I saw it was a joke.

"No Vinnie, you know I'm not even used to homemade food, so I wouldn't complain about Chinese takeout." Vinnie just laughed and sipped more of her non-alcoholic wine. Mr. Hughes furrowed his brows to me.

"So, your mother doesn't cook?" He asked and his wife looked really embarrassed. Maybe cooking was something he thought women should do. I didn't care about that kind of stuff. And really, if he did, he had done pretty bad job with Vinnie.

"My mother is very busy trying to support us. She's a nurse and working three shifts can be hard sometimes, sir." I replied and stared into his eyes. He looked embarrassed now too. And he really should. It was my mother he was judging.

"Where's your father then?" Mr. Hughes kept asking his questions.

"Frank, let the boy be!" Mrs. Hughes said to his husband.

"No, it's okay Mrs. Hughes." I told her and she didn't even notice that I hadn't called her Calla.

"I have an idea of who my father might be, but I won't talk about that with my mother unless she wants to. I just like to think I don't have a father. Mom and I are fine; we don't need anyone there between us." Now Mr. Hughes looked like he was regretting his words.

"I'm sorry Embry."

"No need for that sir, you couldn't have possibly known." I forgave him but felt terrible. It was awful enough just to think about it by myself, but I just hated it when someone brought it up. My brothers didn't think or say anything about that to me anymore; it was a sensitive subject to all of us. I had told to Vinnie of course and I had hated that too, but it wasn't as bad as this, because she loved and cared for me. Vinnie knew me; she knew I didn't want anyone to ask any questions.

I looked up from my paella and saw Vinnie's beautiful grey eyes. She apologized from me with her eyes, without saying anything. Vinnie sensed my pain and I felt better right away. I was so glad I had her, without Vinnie my life would be a mess; fights with my mom, envy towards my brothers… I would feel like an outsider. She made me so full, she had made me complete. I was going to be forever grateful to her. I loved her so much. No man had ever loved a woman as much I loved Vinnie.

The conversation moved into lighter topics mainly because of Dillon. He told his adventures in college. I had to admit that he was hilarious, so much like his sister. I kept pretty quiet during the dinner, feeling a little bit down because I was thinking about my dad again and because I felt like an outsider too. Not that they didn't welcome me there, but they were such a close family that I felt like I was intruding their family dinner. That feeling passed quickly after Vinnie started eyeing me and touching my leg with hers. I tried to concentrate to the wild party story Dillon was telling us, but it was really, really hard.

"… And then they said, 'what the hell are you doing here Dillon'. They had though I was cleaning up my bathroom all the time!" He finished and everybody laughed, thou Mr. and Mrs. Hughes tried to look that they weren't approving their son's behavior.

I had no idea what the story was about, I was too concentrated on Vinnie. She and I both jumped when Vinnie's dad called me.

"Embry, do you have already plans where you are going after high school?" Honestly, I had no idea and I really didn't care. I was going to live in La Push for the rest of my life, I knew it. Of course I could leave for college or something like that, but I couldn't be away from my family forever. Something tied us all into La Push, but we weren't complaining. Maybe Jacob would move out someday, because of Nessie. What wouldn't we do for our imprints? If Vinnie asked me to abandon my whole life and move into another country, I surely would do that to her. Because only the place she was in felt like my home.

"Well no, not really. I mean, Mom wants me to go to college and educate myself. I have nothing against that idea. I think I'll end up opening a garage with my friends after all. It wouldn't hurt to know something about how you run your own business."

"Well, the garage is a great idea, since there is not many in Forks and La Push. You could really make money with that." Mr. Hughes approved. I smiled at him, very pleased that I had said at least something right this evening. Then Mr. Hughes turned to his daughter.

"Have you decided what college you'd like to go Vinnie?" Vinnie just shrugged, but when her father didn't seem to be happy with her answer, she answered properly.

"Well, I don't know, everything suits me. Maybe I should go to California to keep an eye on Dillon. But I think I'll just end up going anywhere Embry wants to go." I dropped my fork on my plate. Everyone went silent and was staring at Vinnie and me. I felt so good. I knew she loved me, but to go where ever I went to? Well, I wasn't complaining, not at all, this just made me love her even more, if that was even possible. I looked up to Vinnie's eyes and she was smirking to me. I could see she was just provoking her family, but meant every word she had said.

"I have nothing against California." I said and tried to lighten the mood. Everyone was still silent.

"What? Why is this big deal? I don't care what college I go to. I'm not getting in any Ivy league colleges, so it really doesn't matter." Vinnie said mostly to her father.

"Have you thought this through Winona?" Her father asked with a cold tone. Vinnie clearly wasn't afraid of her father. She just stared back at him.

"I have. And if I decide I want to go some specific college, I'm sure Embry is right there besides me." I nodded to her, trying to help her with this, but as usual, she didn't need any.

"You guys might have broken up before you got to college." Stephan said smartly. Vinnie and I snorted at him exactly the same time.

"Oh, you just wait and see…" Vinnie said and smiled at me widely. Yeah, maybe this wasn't exactly the right time to tell them I was probably going to marry Vinnie someday. Someday meaning the day I managed to get her say yes when I proposed her, probably for the thousandth time.

"You could move to the living-room, I'll serve the desert there." Vinnie's mom said quietly, looking pretty upset. I bet this wasn't her idea of a nice dinner with her family and her daughter's boyfriend. I felt sorry for her; I would have hoped this would have gone better than it did. But then again, I had been prepared for a lot worse.

As soon as I stood up, Vinnie was by my side, grabbing my arm. I felt like kissing here right then and there, but of course I didn't.

We sat on the couth we had been sitting with Vinnie before the dinner. Now I wasn't even trying to keep some space between us, I wanted her there, by my side, our legs and arms touching.

"So, Embry, are you taking Vinnie to the prom?" Dillon asked, smirking at his sister who rolled her eyes.

"I'm definitely not going!" Vinnie announced, but Dillon ignored it. I looked at Vinnie. I knew Vinnie really wasn't a prom kind of girl, but still, doesn't every girl want to go to the prom?

"Of course I'll take her if she wants to. Do you?"

"No! You know me Embry, no dresses for me, please. I don't want to go there and dance and listen to some grabby band playing and all of the cool kids looking me like I don't belong there, which I don't." I took her hand in mine.

"But it's not really about any of those things Vinnie. It would be just fun, hanging with friends. Russell and Julie would go of course and if you like, I can even ask Quil to come." She smirked at that.

"Well when you put it that way… It might be fun to show you off, just a little. It would totally piss of the girl in my soccer team." She said and laughed evilly.

"You want to go then?" Vinnie shrugged and leaned her head to my shoulder.

"I have to think about it, and talk to Julie. There is no way I'm going to wear some horrible prom dress." I was happy that she even liked the idea this much. It would be so much fun to take Vinnie to the prom. I was pretty sure that if she wanted to go, she'd demand brining Quil with me. And honestly, if he was going to be there, the prom was not just going to be fun, but a disaster too. Anything for my baby, I guess.

Mrs. Hughes Pavlova was great and I think I ate a little too much than I should have. Toward the end of the evening I was getting more and more comfortable sitting there with Vinnie's family. Her brothers and father weren't asking embarrassing questions from me anymore and they seemed gotten used to sight of me and Vinnie holding hands and leaning against one another. I even think that Mr. Hughes thought I was a good guy. Mrs. Hughes adored me, I could see that. She always wanted to know what I thought of everything and if I had enough cake and those sorts of things. She even called me darling.

Stephan wasn't really bad, maybe just a little bit dull and narrow, but he was very businesslike all the time. He never questioned me and didn't make me feel uncomfortable.

Dillon was a completely different thing. He was laughing and making jokes about me, but it didn't bother me that much. He was just like a male version of Vinnie, he really was. Overall, I was pretty happy about this visit. There had been some embarrassing moments, but it was fine, no one was perfect.

At nine o'clock I glanced at the clock on the wall. I squeezed Vinnie's hand and stood up.

"I'm really glad you invited me here to get to know you, and I have been enjoying myself. The food was great, and I had fun. It's late, so I have to get going. Thanks for the lovely evening." I almost puked because of my words. I definitely wasn't like that, not that polite anyway, but I felt like it was necessary.

"Thank you Embry, it was very nice to get to know you." Mr. Hughes said and I nodded.

"I'll walk him to the door." Vinnie announced and stood up before anyone else could come with us.

We said our goodbyes and then Vinnie walked me to the front door. I could see she was about to laugh.

"What's so funny?" I asked, but really not needing any clearing up.

"Oh you know, just all of this. You're so formal and my dad even liked you a little bit. And then we totally freak them out by saying those things about college. Not that I was lying, but maybe I should have just kept quiet." She smirked.

"Oh yes, that really was evil of you." We locked into a stare. Our breathing became shallower; Vinnie parted her lips just a little bit, making it impossible to resist her.

"You know what I have been thing all night long?"

"Just kiss me already Embry." She didn't have to tell me twice. The kiss was so good, after the hours of being with Vinnie in the same room and not been able to kiss her had just been torture to me. Now that I felt her smooth lips against mine, and her tongue touching my lower lip, it made me realize, that it had been the same torture for her too.

Finally we parted, not wanting to draw attention to us. It had been oddly quiet in the living-room and we didn't want to get caught. I did have all the rights to kiss my girlfriend, but it would still be awkward.

"You'll come tonight won't you?" She whispered into my ear and I nodded. She pressed her sweet lips against my cheek and took a deep breath.

"Be really fast Embry, I might not survive without you." She let me know and opened the front door, making me step into the cool October air.

"Keep your window unlocked. I love you."

"I have no words for the love I feel for you Embry." After that she slammed the door closed and I sighed. How long it would take me to drive my car to La Push and run back here? I bet I was going to break some kind of a world record tonight.

**

It took me way too much time to get back to Vinnie's house. Every second I just thought her soft words. Just a couple hours away from her was just too much. I was glad I had most of the nights with her. I couldn't have her on the day time, school was a bitch. But like now, my heart just ached for Vinnie, guiding me towards her. Even if I had seen the agony through my brothers' minds when they had to leave their imprints for a day, I have never understood it, not properly. Now I really did. And the closer I got, the more my heart ached. It knew I was going to see her soon; she was just a touch away.

I appeared on the edge of the woods as a human. I could tell no one had gone to bed yet. There were lights in every room, but I could also hear them. I sneaked closer to the house, listening and being careful. If someone saw me, they'd be likely to call to the police. To explain to the police officer why was I sneaking in my girlfriend's backyard wouldn't be fun, at all.

The fire ladders, my savior, I thought as I started to climb up to Vinnie's bedroom. I suddenly stopped in the middle when I hear my name being called out loud. And it wasn't Vinnie's voice. I looked up, and noticed, that Vinnie's window was not the only one open. I froze still to listen. I knew it was rude, but they were talking about me. It had been Mr. Hughes who said my name, so he must have been talking to his wife about the evening. It was just natural for a boyfriend to want to know about what his girlfriend's parents thought of him, no edited versions. So I took a couple of more steps and stood still, listening.

"Embry is a very nice young man Frank, what is your problem exactly?" Mrs. Hughes asked and her husband sighed. There were a tiny pause and I could imagine Vinnie's mother raising her eyebrows.

"I have this feeling Calla, that I've seen all this before." He muttered so low that it was hard to catch.

"What are you talking about? You have seen what before? Let's just face it Frank, you can't stand the idea that your daughter's dating. She's eighteen for god's sake; she can make her own decisions. And I really thought you liked Embry."

"I do have some issues with Vinnie dating, but Embry seems fine, he's a nice kid and he's really making afford to see Vinnie as much as he can. Even Dillon came up to me and said he wasn't as bad as he had thought. You know our Dillon Calla, he had already decided to hate him, but he's starting to like him too." I could tell Mr. Hughes hadn't finished his speech yet, but his wife was just too impatient to wait.

"I don't get you, what is the problem then? What I've seen, they are perfect together. Vinnie is so much more open, she's happy, more than that, she really loves him. It hasn't been for a long time yet, but do you believe in love at first sight Frank?" Mr. Hughes snorted.

"I do Calla; you remember the day we met?" He asked his wife, taking her back to the moment they've met. Mrs. Hughes hemmed softly.

"I remember like it was yesterday. It was out first day in college, the sun was shining and it was so hot. I just sat next to you; we had thirty minutes before the class would start. We both sat there the whole time, not looking at each other. When the bell rang, we both stood up and our eyes met. I knew it then Frank, I really did. My only thought that day was that there's the guy I'm going to marry someday." Suddenly I felt like I was intruding a very private moment. They were old, close to Mom's age and still, after all these years they loved each other passionately. That's what I wanted, and I knew I was going to get that, with Vinnie.

"Yes, it was the best day of my life. Okay, it was right after our children's births."

"Okay Frank, enough for this, you still haven't answered to me. What do you mean 'I have seen this before'?" Mr. Hughes clearly didn't want to talk about it, but his wife kept pressuring him.

"When I still lived in Virginia, my best friend met this girl. He fell in love with her. She was the only thing he could think of. Tonight when I saw Embry looking at Vinnie, it was Neal all over again when she was looking at his Gail."

"Frank, what are you saying, that you seen another young couple in love?" Mrs. Hughes mocked her husband.

"No Calla, you don't understand. It's something else, but I don't want to talk about it. I'll just tell you it didn't end well with Neal and Gail." He sighed harshly, like he was in pain.

"What happened to them Frank?" Mrs. Hughes asked, more sympathetic now.

"She was in the woods alone, it was hunting season. No one knows what she was doing in the woods alone, she was a smart girl, never did anything stupid like that. I day later she had disappeared she was found 50 miles from her house. She had been shot in the middle of her forehead. And she was pretty badly disfigured. The doctor, who performed the autopsy, said it wasn't the bullet that killed Gail; it had been shot after she had died. She had died because her neck had been broken. Someone had used incredibly much power to break it like that. And that wasn't even the weirdest thing, she had no blood in her body and there were no blood in the place they found her body. It was a horrible tragedy. I moved out just a little over a month after that incident.

"Oh my god! Did they ever found out who did it?" There was a silence so I just figured he had just shook his head.

"What happened to poor Neal then?" Mrs. Hughes asked with a shaky voice.

"A week after she had been found and buried to the cemetery, they found Neal in a nearby forest. He had been stabbed to the chest several times and he had been burned alive. But the doctor could tell from the wounds that he had stabbed himself. He committed a suicide." Mrs. Hughes groaned and I think I did too. She didn't know that vampires had killed Gail, but for me it was obvious. I couldn't possibly think why the guy had killed himself, I'm sure he loved her very much. And maybe there was a lot more in that case, but no one just knew anything about it.

Knowing that Mr. Hughes practically lost his best friends for leeches made me feel so sorry for him, that there weren't werewolves out there protecting everyone from those awful creatures.

"Romeo and Juliet…" Mrs. Hughes muttered.

"Yes, you can just imagine the headlines." Mr. Hughes said his voice full of agony. He'd been through that kind of hell and he hadn't even told his wife? That crossed Mrs. Hughes mind too and then I decided it was time to climb up to Vinnie's room.

The story Mr. Hughes had just shared was awful and very painful to even think of. It would haunt me for a long time, but when I saw Vinnie lying on her bed, looking at me, I forgot all about the horrific story and decided that Vinnie didn't have to know about it.

"Finally, I've been waiting like forever." She said impatiently and I chuckled to her words.

"If you think this is a forever, let's just leave and ask Carlisle what he thinks about his four hundred years." I joked and Vinnie smiled a little too.

"Get in here, I missed you." She pleaded and I jumped inside.

"I missed you too." I murmured before I pressed my lips against her. I had to pull away from her quickly. I listened for a second.

"Embry, why did you stop?" She moaned, but I put my finger against her lips.

"Someone's coming in here!" I hissed at her and her annoyed expression turned into a shocked one.

"Quickly, go hide in my closet!" She whispered and pulled the closet door open. I just shut the door when the other one opened.

"Vinnie, you're still awake!" Dillon's cheerful voice said. I hear that he had sat down on her bed. What was this? Embry-listening-conversations-he-shouldn't – day? The closet was very narrow and it was hard to breath. I just hoped that Dillon would say whatever he wanted quickly and then go.

"I was just thinking about tonight. My start with Embry wasn't that good, but I think I might like him. Well, he's okay, I mean."

"No Dillon, you don't like him, you just like to make fun of him." Vinnie cleared up and Dillon laughed.

"Oh well, you might be right sis. He didn't say anything back, so it was kind of boring. Except for the lecture of how much he loved you. That was just gross. Are you sure you haven't slept with him Vinnie?"

"Yep, pretty sure. Or if I have, I don't remember anything. And I tell you, if he makes love as good as he kissed, I'm sure I would remember it for the rest of my life." Okay, thanks Vinnie. Thank god I wasn't in the same room. Okay, I was, but Dillon didn't know that.

"Yeah okay, just don't get your hopes up too high. Guys might sometimes be a little disappointment."

"If girls think you're bad in bed Dillon, doesn't mean that everyone is. And why do you think I have slept with Embry anyway?"

"Guys don't talk like that about girls. Unless they had some mind-blowing sex with them." Vinnie snorted.

"Life isn't all about sex Dillon!"

"You're right sis, it isn't. It's about eating, sleeping and fucking!" He declared and laughed at his own remark.

"Okay, if our 'talk about sex with your kid sister' is over, would you leave? I have to go to bed."

"What's the rush Vinnie? Unless Mr. I-just-sleep-here isn't paying you a visit."

"Of course he isn't, you dumbass."

"So, you tell me he isn't hiding in your closet right now?" Just keep it cool Vinnie, keep it cool. Dillon just laughed at his own words and I could hear his footsteps closer to Vinnie's room's door.

"No, he's home. At least I hope he is. Would I ever lie to you Dillon?" Dillon laughed and opened the door.

"Oh yes you would sister." He stepped out of the room and closed the door.

"And so I did." Vinnie whispered to herself and opened up her closets door, just finding me in the narrow space, smirking at her.

"Do you always lie that good? I thought you were bad with secrets." I asked and climbed out of the closet. For a moment I stood still and listened. The danger was over; everyone was where they should be. Well, expect me.

Vinnie and I went to her bed and she pressed her head against my chest. It was so peaceful moment, but I was still waiting for her answer.

"I am bad with secrets. I think he knew you were here, or on your way here anyway." I looked at her in shock. Her brother knew I was here and I was still alive?

"Dillon's a nice guy Embry, he trusts me. He sees how happy I'm when you're here. He sees right through me." That didn't make any sense to me, but whatever. I was lucky to be in here. Maybe Dillon wasn't so bad after all.

"What if we just sleep now, I'm pretty tired." I asked and yawned. Vinnie nodded to my chest. She was about to fall asleep any minute.

"You know I'd do anything for you, right Vinnie?" I suddenly asked, thinking about Neal and Gail.

"I know. And I would do anything for you Embry, that's how much I love you."

"Sometimes love is scary."

"It is. But then again, it's worth everything." And she was right. There was no such thing in the world I wanted more than I wanted Vinnie. I surely would set myself on fire if she'd die. It was just… love.

**A/N: So what did you think? Was it any good? Please tell me and review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hi, I'm so terribly sorry, school has been taking all my time. I haven't forgotten this story, and I hope you haven't either. **

**Thanks for reviews. Thank you EmoE.  
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**Disclaimer: Meyer owns it all...  
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Chapter 19 (Vinnie's POV)

Ugh. My life would totally suck without Embry Call. It was Friday, the school was out in an hour and what did I do? I watched Russ and Julie almost making out in the back of the class. Just, ugh. They had been together like a week. I was happy for them, I really was. But it was just awkward, I was the third wheel. They couldn't see it, but I did. In times like this, when they were just staring at each other, and didn't even notice the world around them, made me want to be with Embry. I was talking with him on the practically all the time. On the lunch break, I just talked to Embry on the phone so I didn't have to watch Russell and Julie. I felt alone. And Embry knew exactly what I felt; it had been like that to him before he met me. Sometimes it was hard to understand that I had a soul mate, but just now, I really did get it. He was there for me, always, and he knew me inside and out. Being with Embry was such a blessing. I just had to get Mom convinced about this weekend…

I glanced at Julie and Russ and sighed. We hadn't had a movie night in a long time. First it was because of me. I wanted to be with Embry every second and they understood it. Then it was because Julie was being stupid and tried to ignore Russell. Now it was because of me, again. If it was like this in school, what would it be like in a dark living room where no one was there to see?

I hadn't talked about this with Julie or Russell. I only talked to Embry. Being with Embry was all I did these days besides my job and soccer practice. I didn't mind it, I loved it actually, but I was starting to miss my friends. Julie had been my best friend since we were in kindergarten, but I had been starting to feel, that no one knew me better than Embry. It was ridiculous; I had been with Embry like a month. But our relationship was different. Being a werewolf added lots of things to our lives.

It was natural and when I missed Julie at the same time I thought that I needed no one but Embry. It was so scary to even think about it, because I would abandon everyone in my life, just so I could be with Embry. No one mattered to me like he did. It was love, but so much more. We were tied, our future was somewhat clear. And I wanted it, so badly. With Embry everything was just good, more than good, it was great, perfect.

Thinking about Embry the whole time I didn't even noticed when the class was dismissed and everyone was practically running out of the building.

"Are you coming Pooh?" Julie asked and I looked at her, hand in hand with Russell. I rolled my eyes but didn't want to make a big deal out of the stupid nickname right now. I packed my stuff quickly and hurried after my friends.

I was walking two steps behind them, trying to ignore them. It was just so weird seeing your two best friends kissing each other. Julie turned to look at me when we reached our cars.

"Are you up for a movie? Your pick." Julie offered and I would have loved to say yes, but then again, I didn't.

"If my plans are going as they should, I'll be away this weekend." I said and threw my back bag to the passenger seat.

"Oh, where are you going then?" Russell asked, but didn't even look at me. His eyes were clued to Julies face.

"Dad's out of town for the weekend and I was supposed to meet some of Embry's friends on Sunday, so he asked me to stay over this weekend. I just have to get Mom permission." I had a good feeling about this. Mom totally loved Embry and she trusted me so I was pretty sure she would let me stay the weekend with Embry. As long as I wouldn't tell my father.

"Cool, your spending the night already?" Julie smirked at me with a knowing expression on her face.

"He has spent the night for a couple of times, so this isn't anything new. Well, it is, because I'll have permission. And before you even ask, we hadn't done it yet."

"I wasn't going to ask that…" Russell muttered and looked a bit awkward.

"But hey, let's talk about the movie next week. Or this weekend if Mom don't let me go."

"Okay, but then you don't get to pick anymore! I say we watch The Shining." Julie decided and I flinched. Maybe I was going to skip that one too…

We said goodbyes and I headed to my house, hoping Mom was in a good mood.

"Hi Mom!" I shouted as I stepped in to the house. I threw my keys to the bowl in the counter and headed to the kitchen where I could hear Mom's voice coming from.

She was talking on the phone and I assumed it was her friend Laura from her work so I just took some pasta from the stove and sat down, waiting for her to finish the phone call.

After like fifteen minutes, I started to get edgy. I wanted to meet Embry as soon as possible; we had agreed to go to rent a movie before going to his house.

I tapped my fingers against the wooden table and finally Mom said her goodbyes to Laura and sat down with me.

"Hi Vinnie, is that pasta any good?" She asked and started her meal. I nodded to her, and thought how I was going to ask her. I cleared my throat, making Mom to look at me.

"What is it Vinnie?" She asked and stopped eating, pushing her plate away.

"Well... Embry is going to meet some of his old friends on Sunday, they'll be there all day, and since I haven't even gotten a change to meet his mother, Embry asked me to stay there this weekend." I muttered and watched Moms expressions. She didn't let anything out, she was like me, our emotions weren't readable on our faces.

"Are you asking me to let you stay there the whole weekend? Would you be leaving right now?"

"Yes, Embry asked me to come as soon as I could. And yes, I would be there the whole weekend. So, what do you say?" Mom looked down to her hands, twisting her fingers. She sighed after a while and looked up to me. I was keeping my fingers crossed, hoping she would say yes. If she wouldn't my weekend would be ruined. Not exactly thought, I was going to meet the Cullens anyway, but my weekend would be much, much better, if I got to stay at Embry's. I hadn't been spending as much time in his place and La Push as I wanted, we always hung out in here.

"Mom please, I promise his mom will be there the whole weekend, nothing's going to happen." I pleaded and stared at her intensively.

Mom shook her head. "Oh, all right then!"

"Yes! Thank you Mom, I have to pack my things and call Embry." I gushed and stood up, almost knocking the chair down. Mom put her hand up, ordering me to be silent for a moment.

"I know you are a good kid, and I do trust you, but your father is a little bit skeptic about this. You love Embry, everyone can see that, and I can't stop certain things happen, and neither can your father. He won't like this, but I have to let you go, because I was young once too Vinnie, I do know how you think. It's either I give you a permission and know where you are, or you sneak out, and I have no idea where you are. So, don't tell Dad, I talk about this with him as soon as he gets home." Wow, I didn't know what to say. Mom and I had a good relationship, but we never talked about things that really mattered, we never had talked about boys, but then again, there had been no need for that before now.

"Thanks Mom, I really appreciate it." I almost whispered and Mom just nodded a small smile on her lips.

"Have fun Vinnie, don't do anything I wouldn't do!" She shouted when I was climbing upstairs to get my already packed back bag. I hummed, thinking that she probably wouldn't want to go see vampires by her freewill, or werewolves. What she didn't know couldn't hurt her.

I was on the outskirts of Forks, when my cell rang. I mostly obeyed the law and didn't talk in phone while driving, but as I checked the caller ID and noticed it was Embry, I picked it up.

"What's up?" I answered the phone."

"Hi, babe. Where are you?" I told him my location and asked what was on his mind.

"Do you mind picking me up from the police station?"

"What? Are you arrested Embry?" I was beyond shocked, what was he thinking?

"No, of course not! Quil and I had a little race and we wind up here and chatted with the Chief of police a little. So, will you pick us up?" I shook my head. Sometimes it felt like I was dealing with five-year-olds, but still, I couldn't help but laugh at them.

"Yeah, sure, I'm right around the corner. I'll be there in a minute, see you soon." I laughed and hung up the phone. I laughed out loud by myself once more and drove to the police station.

There they were, standing near the entrance, talking to a man who clearly was the Chief of police. I pulled over and jumped off my car.

Embry was staring at me already, which made me smile widely. I walked to them as fast as I could.

"Hi Vinnie, I missed you." He muttered and pulled me into a tight hug. I hugged him back and kissed his cheek. Quil cleared his throat.

"You know that's very rude when you have company, I could get jealous." He smirked and the man on his left side smiled.

"You want me to hug you too Quil? I would love to do that, but you know how Embry get a little bit possessive sometimes…" I smiled sheepishly. Embry rolled his eyes and took my hand in his.

"Vinnie, this is Charlie Swan, the chief of police. Chief, this is Winona Hughes, my girlfriend, but if I was you, I would never call her that, she prefers to be called Vinnie instead." I cleared at him and he grinned. I shook his hand, he seemed like a nice man, and somehow the name sounded familiar. I didn't have to think long, Quil gave me answer right away.

"Charlie is Bella's father; he's coming on Sunday too."

"Oh, okay. I'm really looking forward to meet your daughter and her family." I said with a smile.

"I'm waiting to see them too; it has been way too long." He said, sounding a bit sad. I wondered how it was like to have a vampire as a daughter and a half-vampire as a granddaughter. I didn't bring it up thought; even I was a little bit uncomfortable talking about it still.

"It was nice to see you Charlie, but I promised a movie night to Vinnie, so we better get going. See you on Sunday!" He weaved at him and all three of us walked to my car.

Embry claimed the shot gun, and I of course drove, like I was going to let them drive… Quil sat in the middle of the backseat, not even thinking of putting his seatbelt on. But he probably wouldn't need it either.

"Hey Vinnie, can't you drive a little bit faster?" Quil complained and just to irritate him a little bit more, I slowed down.

"No, I enjoy this drive so much I want it to last longer." I lied and grinned at him through the rearview mirror.

"Excited about the weekend?" Quil asked smirking, eyeing Embry and I.

"Of course, I have been wondering what is Embry's bed like. He always sleeps in mine, so now's my turn." Quil laughed merrily and didn't say anything else. I glanced at him and he seemed to be somewhere else. He was staring out the window, stupid smile on his face.

"What's with Quil?" I asked Embry, not even bothering to whisper. Embry glanced at his friend and smiled.

"He's going to see Claire today." He explained and I lifted my brows.

"His girlfriend?" I asked and Embry laughed at me.

"Claire is Quil's imprint, but definitely not his girlfriend." I sighed. Would he bother to explain things that I would understand them too? Embry noticed my irritation and continued.

"Claire's five years old, Vinnie. I told you about Nessie and Jacob and how that worked right? This is the same, so do not freak out please." I just stared the road, barely seeing where I was going. These things were difficult for me to understand. My mind told me it was wrong and sick, but then again, somehow it felt natural. I pushed that from my mind and concentrated on driving.

"If we're going to rent a movie, pull over there." Embry said after a while and pointed out the place.

"I can run from here." Quil said as I parked the car. Embry nodded and glanced around the lot, there were no humans other than me around.

"Bye Pooh, I see you on Sunday, if not sooner." Quil laughed and winked at me, walking towards the edge of the woods.

Quil's behavior and Embry's explanations had me all confused and disoriented. Sometimes I felt so at ease with their world, but on time to time, I couldn't help but notice that I was thinking that I didn't belong there, in their world with twisted relationships and vampires and super hot body temperatures. But when you love someone as much as I loved Embry, you just can't let it bother you. To be honest, most of the times I enjoyed it, that I knew about this completely different world where so few people were allowed. I felt special, and loved. Just to have a boyfriend who worshiped you and loved you more than oxygen made me feel so appreciated and liked.

I turned to look at my werewolf boyfriend, who was staring at me, waiting for me to get my thoughts focused on the task. I knew it was going to me hard… To pick up a movie we both liked… impossible, I was sure of it.

"Let's do this." He nodded to me and held the door open like a gentleman. I grinned at him and he shrugged like he didn't know why I was making a face to him.

"What do you think Vinnie, are you up for little action tonight?" He asked and winked, raising an eyebrow. I smacked him, but couldn't help but smile.

"If you keep your tone like that, I can promise you, there will be no action what so ever tonight." Hah, I was totally lying, like I could not give Embry some action when he wanted. God that sounded so… I don't even know what word to use, I was totally hooked. I held no power in this relationship. Embry did claim otherwise, but once he started talking to me like that, touching me, I was wasted.

"What tone, I have no tone, what so ever." He copied me but still kept the stupid yet so gorgeous smirk on his face. I cleared my throat, just to get a minute to arrange my thoughts.

"What if we, uh, move to the horror section?" I suggested and Embry just nodded, taking my hand in his and escorting me to the horror movies.

"So, what type of horror movies are you really into, Vinnie?" He asked sarcasm in his voice. He knew how I got freaked out by the Shining…

"Hmm… I would say that something with werewolves." I decided with a smirk that I tried to hide. Embry turned to look at me, trying to hide his smirk too.

"Okay, so what kind of werewolves do you prefer?" He asked and stepped between the self and me, looking deeply into my eyes, breathing through his mouth. It was way difficult to get words out of my mouth, but I was Vinnie for god's sake, I always, always knew what to say.

"Let me think… I would say that a big, hot, muscular and, well chocolate brown." His face fell and it was a very difficult task not to laugh. He took a deep breath but smiled after that.

"Well, to be honest, I might be into some PG-13 stuff tonight, babe." Then he somehow changed places with me so quickly I couldn't keep up. Suddenly he was pushing me against the selves full of horror films.

He was so close, that there was no space between us, just the way I liked it. He made the seconds feel longer than they really were, looking at me, licking his lips just a little bit and being so close to me that I could feel his warm breath against my skin. It was so agonizing to wait for him to get just a little bit closer so his soft lips would finally touch mine. I know I didn't wait long, but still it felt like a life time. My heart was beating faster than ever and I wanted to tell him to kiss me but I was out of words.

The long seconds were passing by and finally he closed up the distance between us and I got what I wanted. I moaned loudly and I felt tickly all the way down to my toes. I could still hear somehow distance steps of high heels and that made my heart beat faster. The possibility that someone might notice us made the adrenaline rush down my veins.

Still, after a second all that disappeared from my thoughts. Embry's lips in mine and his hands against my back made me literally crazy.

I was so lost into the kiss that I even ignored the aching pain in my back. The self was pressing against it pretty hard, but I didn't want a little thing like pain to interrupt the pleasure I was getting from kissing my boyfriend.

When I was about to moan because his lips felt so good against mine, the moan escaped from my lips as a cry of pain.

Embry parted from me immediately. I tried to continue where we were just a minute ago, but of course he was so worried about me for nothing, like always…

"Vinnie, are you okay?" He asked with panic in his voice.

"Yes Embry, I'm perfectly fine." I told him with a sight. He so wasn't going to let this go…

"Did I hurt you somehow?" He asked eying me.

"No, you didn't, the shelf was just pressing my back, no big deal." I said with determination in my voice and gladly, he didn't say anything else.

I was so mad with myself. Now Embry was just sulking around and totally not kissing me, that was for sure. I had killed the mood.

We walked in silence and picked some stupid comedy film that both of us were going to hate. I was eying Embry all the way to my car. His expression was blank and I really didn't know what to say. His sulking irritated me, it wasn't that big deal, he was exaggerating it.

"Okay Embry, I'm going to go home if you're going to sulk all the weekend." I said, partly joking. Embry looked at me and cracked a smile; it wasn't a wide smile, but still a smile.

"I'm not going to sulk all weekend, I promise. How could I when you're with me?" I pinched his arm and he laughed. It was good that Embry's moods were easily changed.

"Why do you always get so upset?" I asked and Embry sat silently, avoiding my glance.

"You know why. I love you."

"I know, I know…" I sighed and pressed my head against his chest, not wanting to let go.

"Let's go then, this movie seems very interesting." He lied and started the car.

I liked Embry's house, it was so cozy. I liked everything about it. It was just a little bit weird that I still hadn't met Embry's mom. I had no idea why he didn't want me to meet his mom, and I was feeling a little bit anxious because I knew I was going to meet her pretty soon.  
I sat in their couch, holding the bowl full of popcorn and watching Embry working with the DVD player. He finally got it working and the trailers started rolling. Embry sat as close to me as possible and stared into my eyes.

"Do you mind?" He asked and I just stared at him a while, unable to say anything.

"What do you mean?"

"This," He only said and then leaned closer so that his lips touched mine. I was caught away with the kiss. It was so intense that I couldn't even hear the sound of the trailers in the background. Somehow I was lying on the couch, Embry above me. After a while I needed some air and we were both gasping for air. This was one of the times that I felt that just kissing wasn't enough for me.  
Embry pressed his lips against mine again and my hands had found their way under his shirt, wanting to touch every bit of him.

Someone turned their key in a lock.  
"Hi, I'm home!" Woman's voice called. In no time Embry was sitting in the couch, pulling me up and fixing his hair. I pulled my fingers through my hair and pulled my top down to cover my belly. I glanced down at the floor and saw that I had dropped the bowl of popcorn and now they were all over the floor.

"Hi Mom, were in the living-room." Embry called to his mom and smirked at me, almost laughing. I didn't see anything funny in this situation, I was too anxious. Embry's mom appeared to the living-room and smiled to us.

She was a small woman, with a long dark hair, beautiful skin and a happy face. She looked just like Embry.

"Hello Vinnie, I'm Christy Call, Embry's mom. It's so nice to finally meet you." She said and I could see that she really meant it.

"It is nice meeting you too Mrs. Call." I said a bit shyly and I could see that Embry was having a hard time keeping his poker face.

"Please Vinnie, I'm Christy, I've never been married." She said with a smile. She glanced at the floor and lifted her brows.

"What happened to the popcorns?"

"Oh, I accidently dropped them." I murmured. "Embry, would you mind helping me cleaning them up?" I asked him and he just nodded, smiling widely.

"What are you watching?" Christy asked and sat down to an armchair, making herself comfortable.

"I don't know really, it's some romantic comedy." I told her, feeling a little bit uncomfortable around her.

Embry and I sat back on the cough, and Embry was having a very hard time not laughing at me. I glared at him viciously, but this time he laughed. Christy turned to look at her son and I and she smiled so sweetly that I had no other option than to like her.

We sat there the whole hour and a half. For me it was a bit, well odd. Christy was laughing and crying at the same time and her son was trying to make out with me in front of his mother. It was very hard to push him away but I managed to do that. He kept whispering things to my ear that shouldn't be said in the presence of a parent and all I wanted to do was to escape to Embry's bedroom.

"What a great movie." Christy said, not noticing his son's hand roaming all over my body. I had no idea why Embry was acting like this, but the minute Christy took her eyes away from the screen Embry's hands weren't touching me, but he was still smirking.

"I hated it." Embry declared and I lifted my brows at him. Like he had seen anything at all.

"Don't say that Embry." Christy told him.

"No, seriously Mom. How can two people who are supposed to be in love have such great deal of communication problem? Just open up your mouth and talk, it's not that hard." Embry laughed.

"Don't mock romantic comedies Embry, there has to be some real life incident it's based on." Embry lifted his brows and I gave him the look to shut him up.

"It was very nice movie, romantic movies are my favorite." I told Christy and she smiled.

"Oh Vinnie, you're such a great girl, I can't figure it out why Embry hasn't introduced us earlier, we get along so well." She said and she was right. I usually didn't like people, but Christy was just wonderful. Well, Embry did have half of her genes, I shouldn't be so surprised.

"I know, I've been wondering just how embarrassed he is of me." Embry's playful expression changed and he looked at me like I was insane. Here we go again.

"Vinnie, I'm not embarrassed of you, how can you say that?" He asked with a terrified expression on his face.

"Embry please, let's not go there again." I pleaded and I could see from the corner of my eye that Christy was eyeing us with great curiosity in her eyes.

"No Vinnie, you don't go there. How can you even think like that?"

"Embry, it was just a joke, I know it pretty well that you aren't embarrassed of me." He stared at me a while, than his shocked expression changed into a relived one and I rolled my eyes at him.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me. I love you." He offered and used his puppy eyes on me, leaving me no other option than hugging him.

"You're an idiot, you know that right?" I muttered to his chest while he was hugging me like there was no tomorrow.

"I know that. Sorry for over-reacting again babe." He said and kissed my forehead. I almost reached for more but then I remembered his Mom was watching us.

"I forgive you, you know I always do." I answered with a sight and let him go. His mother was moving towards the kitchen and I assumed we were going to have some dinner.

"Oh and one thing," I whispered to Embry's ear. "Stop trying to make out with me in front of your mother!" He just laughed merrily and disappeared in to the kitchen.


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: Here comes the chapter 20! I hope you will like it and please review!**

**Thanks pieisdabeesknees, I'll try to update as often as I can, hope you'll like this.**

**Bratkaren, I'll try to keep updating often during the summer and thanks for the review.**

**jazminadra, thanks for the 100th of review!**

**lairoloko, Russell and Julie aren't based on real persons, but I love them. You will get a bit more about Leah in the next chapters… **

**Disclaimer: Characters are Meyers. **

Chapter 20 (Vinnie's POV)

I woke up next to Embry, stretched my limbs and threw the blanket away. Embry mumbled something that I couldn't understand. It was Sunday. The fatal day of meeting the vampires had arrived. I wasn't scared but I was nervous. I didn't get how Embry could sleep so well, they were still vampires.

I was sitting on the edge of Embry's bed, staring out of his window, wondering what was going to happen today, when I felt him wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my cheek.

"They aren't that bad." he whispered and pulled me closer.

"I know, I just… They are vampires!" He still had his lips against my cheek and I could feel he was smiling, he really thought it was stupid to be afraid.

"I know they're civil and all that, but I'm little nervous. I've never seen a vampire before. I would have been just as anxious if someone had told me that I'm going to meet a pack of werewolves!" Embry laughed but his expression was back to serious in no time.

"Hey, if you don't want to go, we can just stay here." He said and tapped his bed.

"No, even though that sounds appealing, I wouldn't let you miss this because of me, and before you say anything, I really want to go. How cool is to be the only one in my class who has spoken to a vampire?"

"Super cool…" He murmured, rolling his eyes. Embry was getting up from his bed. I was edgy, but not scared. I wasn't stupid and I really wasn't that reckless, I knew this was kind of dangerous; my life had suddenly gotten a more dangerous tone since I had started dating Embry. I had thought about it and accepted it, but vampires were a completely different story. I really didn't know much about them and that made me worry. Still, I trusted Embry; he would never ever take me to a place he could possibly think was too dangerous for me. Sometimes I thought that I trusted Embry too much, but I couldn't help it. My life was practically in his hands, and somehow, I didn't mind. What had happened to the independent woman that I had been a couple months earlier? Oh right, she had fallen in love, how sweet. Julie would think this was freaky, but I didn't care. My relationship with Embry was complicated, but it was what we both needed. My life with a werewolf, it sounded so crazy…

"When do you want to go there?" Embry asked as he was pulling his shorts on. I was still lying in his bed wearing my pajamas.

"When will Nessie be there?" I asked, trying to sound casual. A half-vampire, named after the Loch Ness monster? The world has gone nuts.

"I think she's there already, its 11 am already." I turned to look his alarm clock, he was right. I had slept much longer than I thought.

"Okay, so let's go after the breakfast?" Embry nodded and threw me my clothes.

"See you downstairs." He winked his eye and left me to dress up.

When I finally got downstairs, Embry and his mom were sitting by the kitchen table, chatting and laughing.

"Good morning", I greeted Christy and sat down next to Embry. Although I had seen him like ten minutes ago, I felt like I wanted to kiss him and tell him how happy I was to see him again. That sounded so cheesy in my head, so I kept quiet. But of course I wasn't the only one who wanted to show their affection. Embry wrapped his left arm around me and kissed me, but only briefly, since his mother was staring at us across the table. I didn't get why Embry was so keen on kissing me in front of his mother, but the second his lips found mine, I always forgot what I was thinking.

"Eat." Embry ordered and pushed pancakes toward me. I glared at him and saw Christy almost laughing at my expression.

"Don't you tell me what to do." Embry rubbed his forehead and looked frustrated with me.

"Eat, please. I can't guarantee there's any food left when we get to Sam's."

"So, you kids are going to stay there all day?" Christy said eyeing us. I looked at Embry, because I didn't know how long we were going to stay. Embry just nodded and stuffed more pancake to his mouth. Christy glanced at me across the table and mouthed 'sorry'. That made me laugh, Embry's mom was such a neat person and still Embry was like a pig.

The rest of the breakfast we mainly sat in silence, Embry too busy with eating and Christy reading the paper. But the silence wasn't a bad thing, I actually enjoyed, it gave me a small break before having to worry about vampires. All too soon Embry and I had finished our breakfasts and I realized I was sitting next to Embry in his pickup truck.

"Here we go!" Embry smiled and started the engine. I swallowed and decided not to worry; I was with Embry after all.

"Let's go meet some vampires," I said, smirking and trying to act normally. Embry leaned closer to me, putting his forehead against mine.

"You don't have to come."

"Silly werewolf. You think you're the only magical creature I want to hang out with? Let's go!" And so he drove off the driveway, laughing merrily at me.

There we were, just a step away from vampires. I took a deep breath as Embry opened the door and stepped in like he was walking into his own house. I reached for Embry's hand and squeezed it. He looked at me, smiling.

As I was staring at Embry, a little pink lightning run towards us, clinging to Embry's leg. Looking it again, I saw it was a little girl, the cutest thing I've ever seen.

"Hi Claire-Bear!" Embry said and pulled the little girl from the ground and hugged her.

"Uncle Embry! Come see Nessie!" She gushed. So this was Quil's imprint. It was weird, thinking I was Embry's imprint and comparing our relationship to Claire and Quil's. Well, maybe it would be better not to think about this.

"Claire this is Vinnie," Embry said and turned Claire's face toward me.

"Hi Claire, I'm Vinnie." I smiled, she was adorable and usually I wasn't that into kids.

"You have a boy's name," she accused and I had to laugh.

"Yeah, I think I do have a boy's name." Claire looked at me a little speciously.

"Are you going to marry my uncle Embry?" Okay, I didn't expect that. I heard laughter from the living room. Stupid perfect werewolf hearing… I looked up at Embry; he was just smiling, waiting for my answer too.

"I don't know Claire. You think I should?" She nodded with a serious expression on her little face.

"Uncle Embry loves you," she stated.

"I love him too," I assured her and she looked instantly happier. Embry smiled at me so widely. Gosh, I think I really was going to marry that guy someday, weird.

"Now, let's go meet Nessie!" Claire insisted, hopped down from Embry's embrace and took his hand, leading us to the living room. When we reached the threshold I just had to stop. It was just so unnatural. She was sitting in Emily's lap while Emily was braiding her hair. I had never seen a vampire, or a half-vampire, I knew that for certain now. Never had I seen something as beautiful as she was with her curly copper hair and big brown eyes. She was the most perfect thing I had ever seen. I must have stared at her my mouth open, because I could hear laughter around me. Nessie jumped down from Emily's lap and somehow gracefully danced or walked to me. She was an amazing creature. I was just amazed.

"Hello Vinnie," she said with a clear high voice which totally paralyzed me.

"H-hello," was all I managed to say. She smiled to me and reached to me with her tiny hands. I was confused, but I bent down so Renesmee could touch my face. I didn't know what made me do it, but it felt so natural.

As soon as her smooth palms touched my cheeks I was seeing myself, from Nessie's point to view. I saw myself, a tall think dark-haired girl staring, looking amazed. As soon as it had begun it ended. Now Nessie was watching me with her bright brown eyes and smiled.

"What was that?" I managed to say, feeling so puzzled.

"I have a gift Vinnie. I can show people how I see the world and the people around me. You are pretty," she said and brushed her hand through my hair. I couldn't say anything, this was getting so weird.

"It's nice to meet you Nessie," I finally managed to say. She smiled at me and walked back to Emily. Every pair of eyes in the room was looking at her and I couldn't blame them. She was something beyond our understanding. She was just so unique. I felt so weird, like I hadn't really known the world I was living in, but now I had gotten a glimpse of it. Someone might say that humans controlled the world, but they were so wrong. This was so weird, vampires and werewolves, what else, leprechauns? But then again, it was kind of cool. The world suddenly became a lot more interesting place to live. Not that I needed anything interesting into my life, I had Embry. He was interesting enough.

"Embry and Vinnie, I saved you some food, so please, go eat," Emily said with a smile. Embry nodded to her and took my hand, leading me to kitchen.

"Huh, that was…odd," I muttered as Embry and I sat down to the table. Someone snorted behind me and I turned around just to see Leah sipping coffee.

"Hi Leah," Embry mumbled not looking at her.

"At least someone thinks it's odd…" Leah said and for the first time, smiled at me. Huh, that was even odder.

"Yeah, it's pretty weird when you have never seen anyone like Nessie," Embry said, glaring at Leah.

"Well, whatever. I'm not staying anyway. I have no reason to stay here," said Leah and poured rest of the coffee down the drain.

"Good luck with meeting the leeches," she said to me, and as she was going to leave the kitchen, Sam was suddenly there, in the threshold, looking very angry.

"Now what Sammy?" Leah asked, trying to sound sarcastic, but I could hear it in her voice she was a bit sad too.

"You know what Leah. Nessie has a good hearing, so don't make her feel bad if you have something against her family." Sam seemed really angry with Leah and I felt really sorry for her. She pressed her lips together, holding back the words she wanted to say, but didn't dare to say.

"Fine. It's all cool Sam. I'm leaving. I can't just take this. I'm done," she seemed amazed by her own words too. Suddenly Embry was standing and three other wolves had appeared behind Sam.

"Leah, please…" Seth said, sounding like he was going to cry.

"I'm sorry Seth; tell mom I'm out of the town for a while, will you?"

"You can't go," Jacob said with a fierce tone. Leah stepped closer to him, so that she was just inches away from him. She looked up to his eyes.

"And what is going to make me stay? What makes you better than me?" I could hear Leah was very serious. I wanted to stay something, but I just had a feeling I should stay quiet.

"I'm serious Leah, we need you here," Sam said, looking like he regretted his angry tone earlier.

"No Sam, you won't need me here. You'll be better off me. Let me go," she insisted. Sam shook his head.

"Let me go, now." Something in her words made Sam back off. She gave the other wolves a sign to get off her way. The others looked really shocked at Sam's decision, but moved out of the threshold. Leah walked out of the kitchen, not turning to look back. In just a few short seconds she was out of the house, probably running somewhere in the woods.

"I don't get this…" Seth muttered, sounding so worried about his sister, and I couldn't blame him, I would go mental if one of my brothers just left. Apparently Emily's maternal instinct kicked in as she came running to the kitchen and hugged Seth tightly.

"It will be all right, she will come back in no time. She just needs some time to think," Emily assured.

"I wouldn't be so sure," said Jacob, looking very concerned.

"Maybe we should go check on her," Embry proposed but Sam and Jacob just shook their heads.

"I know how she feels, just leave her alone," Jacob ordered and Sam affirmed his command with a firm nod.

"Let's go back to the living room, we'll scare Claire," Emily muttered and pulled Seth with her. Jacob, Embry, Sam and Jared didn't move, they just were standing there in the middle of the kitchen, looking very… concerned. It was such a weird moment that I thought I should go to the living room, but Embry took my hand, not even looking at me, just staring at Sam. I didn't move. If he wanted me there, I was going to stay. And I was also very interested in hearing what they were talking about.

"What's going on now? I thought she was okay already," Jared asked and Jacob just rolled his eyes, like saying that Jared had no idea what was going on in Leah's mind.

"The baby, that's what's wrong. Haven't you been running with Leah at all?" Jacob asked. Sam looked so guilty, like it was his fault that he was happy and Leah wasn't.

"She'll get over it. The baby's going to be related to her," Embry said but Jacob looked at him like he was out of his mind.

"You two just don't get it. Now that Emily is pregnant she sees more clearly what's wrong with her. She can't have a baby, and even if she could, she can't have Sam. I know what that feels like, well minus the baby thing of course. And I really think she won't be okay until she finds someone else." I looked at Jake, trying to find the hurt side of him, but I couldn't see it. That was the imprinting, I knew it. I haven't seen Embry sad over anything else but me. Even if I didn't know Leah and even though she had been pretty mean, I still hoped she would find somebody, and fast. I could see what a negative effect her behavior was having on the pack.

"Well, maybe it's for the best that she's taking some time off then," Jared said, making Sam look totally angry.

"How can you say that, Jared? She's our sister. She might be away for a long time. Remember how long Jake was gone? And you know Leah; she can stay away for a long time." Sam looked pretty upset and guilty.

"Can we stop talking about this now? The Cullens are coming with Charlie and Sue," Embry informed and in ten seconds I could see from the kitchen window how a black Mercedes stopped next to Jake's Rabbit. I just froze in front of the window as I saw two of the most beautiful people in the world stepping out of the car. I recognized the Chief of Police, Bella's dad, Charlie Swan, and I could tell that the middle-aged woman was Sue.

The female with gorgeous brown hair must have been Bella, and the way the male acted, he must've been Edward, her husband.

In just a few seconds the front door was opened and I could hear Emily welcoming them.

"It's so nice to see you Bella and Edward," Emily said to them.

"You too Emily, it has been too long," said a female voice, Bella. The sound was so compelling that I almost failed to notice Embry's hand squeezing mine. I looked at him and he smiled at me. Let's go meet the vampires, his eyes said and I almost laughed. I don't know why. Maybe it was only because the situation was so unreal. Okay, here we go…

I hope my jaw didn't drop when we stepped to meet the Cullens. Bella was just the most beautiful woman I had ever seen; everything in her was just so perfect, but also kind of creepy. The pale skin just looked like it was made of stone and the eyes were just so, unnatural. Even though she was so beautiful and was smiling, there was something cold; they were kind of dead after all.

I turned my eyes to Edward, who was as gorgeous as Bella. He was smiling that kind of crocked smile that would make every girl go all soft inside and think all kind of romantic fantasies about him. As I was staring at him, I noticed that I really didn't feel anything. Odd, usually a guy who was that good looking would make even me drool.

"Hi, I'm Bella," she said with the softest voice I had ever heard. She offered her hand and even when I was feeling so foggy, I realized she wanted to shake my hand.

"Hi, I'm Vinnie. I really like your hair," I said like a stupid airhead I so wasn't. Vampires made me feel stupid. Embry laughed behind me and wrapped his hands around my waist, apparently trying to calm me down. Well he wasn't very successful, his touch just mad my mind wander. As much as I liked to be here with Embry's family and friends, I wanted so bad to take Embry to another room and seriously make out with him. He was totally hotter than Edward Cullen. Gosh, meeting vampires just wasn't doing any good for my mental health…

"Babe, you might want to keep your thought to yourself," Embry whispered to my ear, looking at Edward over my shoulder. Edward was trying to hide his smile, but I just ignored him and turned to look at Embry.

"I think whatever I want to think about," I snapped at Embry, who just rolled his eyes.

"What now? If you want me to keep my thoughts to myself, then why don't you keep your hands to yourself? And since when have you been worried about my thoughts?" I hissed at him. Still, Embry didn't let go of me, just laughed.

"I just thought you didn't want to share them with Edward…" he mumbled to my ear. I turned to look at Edward, looking very confused.

"I'm sorry Vinnie, I guess you weren't told I can read thoughts." What the hell?

"So… you can hear me right now?" How embarrassing is it to practically show images, to a person you just met, of yourself making out with your boyfriend?

"Yes, I can, but don't worry; it's not something I haven't heard before." He smiled at me, but I was staring at him like a jackass.

"So, is there anything vampires can't do?" I asked and everyone laughed.

"What if we go to the living room and Edward and Bella can tell you anything you want to know?" Emily suggested and we all moved out of the crowded porch.

Okay, maybe vampires weren't as freaky as I had thought just an hour earlier. Now that I was officially engaged into the world of vampires, I wasn't so edgy around them. After an hour of questions from me and answers from mainly Edward I felt at ease, vampires were people too, who would have guessed?

"…and so it turned out vampires actually can have kids," Edward finished his story when I asked about how Renesmee came to exist.

"Would you like to know something else?" Bella asked while looking at Nessie playing with Jacob on the floor with ponies.

"No, not really, I think this is enough for one day, but thanks. It was nice to hear all this from you guys and not from those guys!" I said, making everyone expect the wolves laugh.

"Hey, we like these vampires!"

"Sure you like them, but it's a different story what kind of hero would you had made of yourself, concerning all these newborn and Volturi things…"

"Yeah, well, we were the real heroes!" Quil and Embry both claimed, making me roll my eyes.

"Of course you are," I said just to shut them up. The stories they had told about the newborns and such sounded so dangerous, that it really made me glad that Embry was still here, alive, next to me. It had made me think just how dangerous it really was to be a werewolf, to be assigned to kill the deathliest creatures in the world. I usually was never scared of anything, but I was a bit scared now. What if some other vampires came here and they would kill someone of the pack; they all were like my extended family. And what if Embry would die? I didn't even want to think about it, because even thinking about it made me feel sick.

"Vinnie, nothing like that is going to happen, and still, if it would, we would be here with my family in no time," Edward said quietly. I raised my eyes to meet his. I had already forgotten that he could hear everything I thought. Now I wished I haven't thought about it, I could already feel Embry panicking besides me.

"It's alright, I was just worried about all of you, you know, killing vampires' sounds like a pretty dangerous thing," I said to Embry before he got the change to overreact.

"Well Edward is right, it's over now. Bella is already a vampire and won't be causing anymore trouble!" Jacob joked, but I still was feeling a bit worried about it, they couldn't see the future.

"Actually Vinnie, I told you about Alice, right? She has been keeping an eye on the pack. She can't see their futures, because she has never been a werewolf, but she still keeps an eye on La Push." Edward told me and I just stared at him.

"Are you seriously telling me she can see the future?" Okay, mind reading was still okay, but seeing the future, that was too much…

"Yes, she can, and it has been a great help for us over the years." This world of mythical creatures just kept keeping me surprised all the time. Well, one thing was for sure, I wasn't going to live a boring life.

"You should really visit us in Olympia," Bella suggested. I really liked Edward and Bella, and it would be kind of nice to meet all the rest, they had been talking a lot about them.

"Yeah, that would be great! Road trip! You in Vinnie?" Quil asked me and of course I had to laugh; only Quil would be so excited about a few hours of driving around.

"Yeah sure, if I get to drive!"

"You're no fun Vinnie!"

"You're welcome anytime," Bella assured us. It would be very nice to visit them, but I didn't think it was going to happen anytime soon. It took time to get to Olympia, and it wasn't like I was going to tell my Mom and Dad I was going to visit my vampire friends.

"I think we should get going, it looks like Nessie's about to fall asleep," Edward noticed that Nessie had her eyes closed as she was almost sleeping in Jacobs lap. I had to smile at them, something about this half-vampire made everyone so happy and smiley. I could only imagine how charming she would be when she grew up. Her father and uncles might be having a hard time in few years. I looked at Edward and he sighed, like saying 'tell me about it…'

It was hard for me to imagine, that I was one of the few people in this room who would really get old. Somehow it was a bit scary thought. I would be a wrinkled old lady in fifty years and they all would look just the same. Well, I really thought that Embry was going to stop phasing when I had reached his physical age but still. It was going to be a bit odd to see some of these people never getting old, it would seem like the time had stopped.

"Oh, well, I guess you have to go then. We have all enjoyed your company, it was so nice you had time to visit us, we have been dying to see Nessie," Emily said and got up from her armchair.

"Of course we came, we should come more often, and like Bella said, you are welcome to come visit us anytime," Edward assured and took Bella's hand in his on their way out of the living room. Jacob was carrying Nessie with him to the car and we all went to say our goodbyes.

We went outside to wave at them. I was only wearing a t-shirt, the October air was getting cold and I shivered. Instantly Embry was behind me, wrapping his arms around me, making me warm.

Edward started the engine; they all waved and drove away, disappearing into the dark.

"I should take you home, we got school tomorrow," Embry mumbled into my ear and I glanced at my clock. It was already past seven pm.

"You don't have to come with me, I drove my own car, remember." I reminded him, but of course he just shook his head.

"Let's go get your car," Embry said and we said goodbyes to everyone.

"That was quite an experience," I muttered from the passenger seat. We had gotten my car from Embry's, and of course he insisted in driving it. Christy wasn't home because she had a night shift, so I didn't get the change to say goodbye to her properly.

"What did you think of them?" Embry asked, not even bothering to look at the road ahead.

"I liked them a lot, but the thing with Edward hearing me all the time was kind of creepy, how do you deal with your pack, isn't that awful?" Embry chuckled at my horrified expression.

"Yeah, it was creepy in the beginning but I'm kind of used to it by now. And we do have more control over our thoughts now. In the beginning it was just plain awful to see all those very private moments."

"I hope you're not showing our moments inside your head…" I mumbled under my breath, but of course he heard it.

"I might have shown something… But don't get upset, we don't think anything about it." Okay, well I was just glad that we hadn't had sex. It might have bothered me a bit more if his pack had seen that.

"No, it's okay, but I'm really hoping that you could keep the most private things to yourself." I said and smirked at him. He raised his eyebrows.

"Are you suggesting something?" He asked, not sure where to look. I had to laugh; Embry was weird acting all embarrassed.

"No, not right now or anything, but it is going to happen, sometime. And I would appreciate that when it happens, the ones seeing it will be just you and me." I took his hand and smiled.

"Okay, I will work on keeping my thoughts to myself. But around you it is always a bit difficult…" He trailed off and leaned in to kiss me.

"Watch the road!" I said playfully and shoved him off. He grinned at me and I grinned back. Embry looked back at the road and I began to think about Bella and Edward once again. They were so nice, that I couldn't really believe that they were vampires; they were just so nice and sweet. It seemed to me that I had met some kind of fake vampires. I did appreciate their efforts to not kill humans, but I still thought that I didn't really know anything about vampires. I really wanted to ask Embry how were the other vampires like, the ones that hunted humans, but I didn't want to worry him so I just kept my mouth shut.

In no time, we were in Port Angeles, almost at my house.

"Thanks for taking me with you today."

"I couldn't deny you anything." He sighed, but smiled. I smiled too as he drove to our drive way.

"You know that you can tell me anything, right?" I suddenly asked, surprising myself too.

"Of course I know that, I trust you more than anyone else. Is something wrong?" He sounded again so worried. He was a thousand times worse than my mother or father.

"No, I just want you to tell me immediately if something is wrong. You know something like with the Volturi or anything." I usually wasn't this worried, but somehow I knew that someday something like that was going to happen again.

"Of course I would tell you. Don't worry Vinnie; I'm going to keep you safe." He muttered and kissed my forehead.

"Please kiss me like I wasn't five years old." And like always, he couldn't say no to me.


	21. Chapter 21

**AN: Well, here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it. Please read and review, it would save my day!**

**Thanks pieisdabeesknees, your review was superfantabulous!  
Kishasho 123, thanks for reviewing!  
Also, thanks Shinoslittlesister for your review. **

**I would also like to thank my dear friend jazminadra, you keep me writing this story, girl!**

Chapter 21 (Embry's POV)

It was almost Thanksgiving. I couldn't believe that November was about to turn into December so soon. Vinnie and I had actually been dating for over two months. It seemed such a short time, a little over two months… It seemed to me that I had known her forever.

I was sitting in the woods, close to Sam and Emily's, waiting Jacob to join me. The ground was getting cold, but there was no snow yet. I wasn't waiting for the snow to fall, our footprints would be visible in the snow and it might cause us some problems. We just had to be extra careful, running only in the woods where nobody visited during the winter.

I was getting tired of waiting Jake and I moved closer to the house. I could hear a woman crying inside. The pregnancy wasn't doing any good to Emily, and Leah being missing didn't help the fact. She was about four months pregnant now and everyday was more difficult than the other. Were all pregnant women like this? Or did this have something to do with the fact that the father of the baby was a shape shifter?

Well, right now I couldn't care less, I wanted to see Vinnie today and Jacob was nowhere to be seen. When I had pack stuff on weekends, I usually got very impatient. I couldn't see Vinnie that often during the week so it annoyed me very much to spend all day hunting down some stupid run-away wolf.

We had let Leah run like she wanted but it had been like a month now and we were getting a bit worried. Last night Sam had asked Jacob to try to locate Leah, but she was far away and the thoughts Jacob heard couldn't tell anything about where she was. Her mind seemed to be kind of messed up right now and for me it felt like we should have just let her be as long as she liked. But Jake and Sam had agreed that it would be better to try to get her come back. Seth and Sue were pretty upset about all this. I just hoped she would come home and all this would be forgotten.

Finally I could hear Jacob phasing.

_What took you so long?_ I complained as Jake took off running. I went after him, having hard time to keep up.

_Sam wanted to tell me all these things he wanted Leah to hear… _Sam was blaming himself a bit too much about all this. Like it was his fault Leah couldn't take it.

_Don't blame her._ Whatever… She wasn't going to listen to us anyway. We caught Leah's thoughts but she was far away, surrounded by trees. I couldn't figure out where the hell she really was, but I just kept running. I knew how Leah hated eating raw food, so I really was surprised that she had been able to stay away for this long. I wouldn't be able to do that, but that was only because of Vinnie, I just couldn't stay away from her. I should really start thinking what I should get her for Christmas.

_Concentrate Embry, please. I want to get closer to Leah, this madness has to stop._

_No one was calling you mad when you acted like a moron._

_Oh shut up… _The memories of that time weren't the one's Jake really wanted to think about. It was all in the past.

_I can't shut my thoughts up. But for real, this will be the first present I'll get her. Your presents are easy, just buying her a doll will make her happy. _

_Stop whining, Leah hates it when we talk about our imprints, so could you keep it down?_

_Fine, what do you want to talk about then? What topic pleases Leah's delicate ears?_

_Why can't you morons just go home? _Leah suddenly asked, for the first time concentrating her thoughts on us.

_Leah, where are you?_ Jacob asked, sounding pretty relieved.

_I think I'm in Alaska, and the answer to your question is no, I'm not going home yet. Tell my mom not to set a plate for me on Thanksgiving. _I was so getting tired of all this moodiness.

_Then why are you here? _Leah sarcastic tone asked.

_Because, I want it to stop. Come home, don't go to Sam's, you don't have to see Emily or Sam. _I said to her, thinking if I would have to run patrols with Leah very often…

_Embry, shut up, you are getting pretty annoying. And Leah, Sam wants you to know that he wants you to be with us, but if it doesn't include him, he's fine with it. Also he says he's sorry and hopes that somehow you find a way to be in Emily's life, because she really needs you. _

Leah didn't say anything to us but I could hear her mind racing. She was actually pretty bored with this kind of life style but she didn't know what else to do. She absolutely didn't want to see Emily or Sam, but she was dying to see Seth and her mom.

_Leah, I'm sorry, I'm an ass. Just come home, you don't have to see Sam or Emily, please?_ I actually pleaded her. I wanted this shit to end and when I thought about it, I kind of missed her. Leah didn't answer, just took a deep breath and then stopped. I could smell it through her thoughts.

_A leech. _Leah growled and Jake and I had to do the same. Leah started to run, following the trail. It was leading south, closer to us, if it would move bit more south, it would reach the lands of the reservation, we had to get it.

Everything disappeared from my mind; all I could focus on was getting that leech. The trail was very fresh and we were going to surround that bloodsucker. Jake ordered me to go from the east, while Leah came from the north and Jake from South. In no time, well it actually took pretty long, but it felt like only a few minutes, I could smell the trail. It made me want to rip off some vampire heads.

Suddenly she caught my eye. She was a petite woman, with a weird expression on her face. She might have never seen anything like Jake, Leah and I before, but she still knew what to do. She ran fast, but not fast enough. Leah was the first to get to her. She bit down to her arm and ripped. The vampire screamed with agony. Jacob was on her, ripping off her legs. I sunk my teeth into her flesh and took a junk off of her stomach. She screamed like hell, but after Leah ripped off her head she went silent.

Adrenaline was running down my veins, this was pure ecstasy. I didn't actually even feel that bad. As I stared at her crimson eyes I knew I did a huge favor to some poor humans. I sighed and wished we had got her before she could have taken any lives. Jake and I phased into humans but Leah stayed in her wolf form. Maybe she wasn't sure if she wanted to go home or not.

I took my pants around my ankle, but didn't bother to put them on; I was going to phase back anyways. I just pulled out a lighter from my pocket and set the vampire on fire. I hated the smoke, so we phased back right away when we saw all of her remains on fire.

_Good job guys. _Jacob praised and I could still feel how excited Leah was. It was good to see her feeling good, well better at least. Jake turned to face Leah. They stared each other for a while.

_Fine, I'll be home for Christmas. _Leah agreed. Her mom was going to be happy, but Christmas was still pretty far away, anything could happen in couple of weeks.

_I just need some time, okay?_ I nodded. It was her decision after all, but still, I kind of missed her sarcastic comments and all that shit.

_Vinnie can give you all the sarcastic comments you want. _Maybe someday they would get along, they weren't so different.

_You're still my sister._ We weren't that close, but still, she was part of my pack, part of my family.

_Go enjoy your Vinnie time, moron._ Leah sprang away from us, leaving Jake and I standing in that terrible burning vampire stink. Luckily I would be sniffing something much nicer in a few.

_I think I'll run to Olympia, see you. _Jake muttered. I didn't waste any time standing there, I had to see my baby.

"Bad news hotness."

"Since when did you call me with that name?" I asked furrowing. Vinnie pushed aside her math homework and rolled her eyes. I lost focus for a moment, and leaned to kiss her. Her lips met mine and she moaned against my mouth, making me smile. I pinned her down to her bed, running my tongue down her lips and then placing kisses down her neck. She was just so divine. Absolutely gorgeous.

"So you want to do this now? You know my mom's downstairs." I placed one final kiss on her lips and pulled myself up. I had to smile at her. Her cheeks had gotten a little red and from her breathing I could think that her body wanted me to continue. But of course, I was a perfect gentleman.

"Bad news?" I would have gotten a bit more worried, but because she looked completely normal, I figured it couldn't be that bad. She crossed her legs and took my hand, looking into my eyes.

"Dad has decided that we are going to spend Christmas in Virginia," She said it like nothing at all. I let go of her hand so that I wouldn't squeeze it too hard and break her hand or anything. Spending time away from Vinnie? No way, no fucking way.

"And I forbid you to come. You stay here and have a nice time with your mom and pack." Her face was serious; she had decided this a while ago.

"You can't leave." As simple as that, she was not going away, no, she was going to stay by my side, now and forever.

"Embry, I have thought this over, and I think it's for the best. I haven't met my family in Virginia in a while, so I'm kind of missing them, and you are not getting into trouble with your mom because of me." She said it like it was final and there was nothing I could say. She smiled at me and leaned closer, ready to continue our make out session. I couldn't pull away; as her lips touched mine I was a goner. She pushed me down to her bed, never letting our lips part. She suddenly slid her hands under my shirt. Her touch made me shiver with pleasure. She parted her lips from mine, gasping for air, but keeping her forehead pressed against mine. She was so beautiful.

"Don't try to distract me." I breathed but she just placed a kiss to my throat. Look who's moaning now…

She was getting a bit excited, biting my neck carefully; it didn't hurt, only turned me on. She started sucking my neck.

"That's going to leave a mark," I breathed, running my hands down her body.

"Dinner is in fifteen minutes!" Vinnie's mom shouted from down stairs. I let go of her, hearing the voice of a parent was a turnoff.

Vinnie smiled against my neck and chuckled a bit. I couldn't see the fun part in this situation.

"You sneaky girl. I hope your mother doesn't see this hickey," I said and just made her laugh.

"Back to the original topic, I can't cope without you. How long will you be gone anyways?" She was still lying on top of me, her face buried in my neck. She sighed but didn't move.

"Only three days. You can totally be without me for three freaking days Embry. We are independent people." She stated, making me raise my eyebrows. Had she been talking to some kind of feminist missionaries?

"You can be independent and all if you want, but I can't I don't even want to. If I could choose, we would be attached from the hip all year round." I couldn't see, but I guessed she was rolling her eyes at me.

"We aren't conjoined twins Embry, we can have fun on our own too you know."

"Okay, what's wrong?" I pulled myself into a sitting position, but kept her in my arms. If she really was leaving for three days I wasn't going let her go before that.

"Nothing is wrong; I was just thinking it couldn't hurt to be apart for a while. Besides, Julie is kind of getting freaked out that I'm spending all my time with you." She muttered the last sentence. Her words kind of hurt, but I could see where she was coming from. She rarely saw her friends, I had thought it was mainly because of Julie and Russell were going out and all, but I never really thought about it. All I needed was to be with her. Of course I liked to do other things too, but if I could choose between Vinnie and friends, it was going to be Vinnie, always. She didn't have to choose though; of course she could have both. I would fucking fetch the moon from the sky if that was what she wanted.

"I'm sorry." I whispered into her ear and kissed her forehead. Vinnie looked up to me.

"Don't apologize. I did take some time apart from Russ and Julie because I felt kind of left out, but they aren't that clingy anymore, and I kind of miss them. I would love to spend the Christmas with you, I would love that, but there are other people in our lives too Embry." Her expression was not sad or anything, she just wanted me to acknowledge someone other than her.

"You're right, love, like always. But three days will feel like forever." I couldn't take three days; I would be all sulky and annoying during the holidays.

"I know, it's not like I want to get rid of you," she laughed, not knowing that was exactly what I thought she wanted.

"I don't ever want to let you go." I hugged her tighter against my body.

"Then don't." She muttered before taking my head between her hands and placing her lips against mine. Eagerly I answered to the kiss, wanting it to last forever.

"Okay, I'm officially ready to be away from you for three days." I stated to Vinnie three days later, on Thanksgiving. Vinnie let out a small laugh.

"No, you're not, but hey, I'm not either." She knew me too well. I hugged her against my side with my left arm. I had been gone all lunatic with my brothers and they kind of wanted to kick my ass for whining so much that I had decided that I could do it. I could live without Vinnie for three days. I could certainly, but I was going to suffer.

"I would love to spend every minute I'm awake, and maybe when I'm sleeping too, with you. But I don't think it's the best idea to cut off all the social life we have, if we even have any anymore…"

"Okay, I get you, but I'm going to call you like every fifteen minutes." Vinnie presses her head against my chest and chuckled a little.

"You are one crazy werewolf."

"And you are one hot girlfriend." I muttered and kissed her before she opened the door. This kind of family dinners with the Hughes kind of freaked me out, but Vinnie was going to be away from me for such a long time, I would take any time with her that she offered.

Her mother was in the kitchen; it seemed to me that I hardly ever saw her anywhere else besides the kitchen. Dillon was getting down the stairs, buttoning up his shirt. He smiled when he saw her sister, but his eyes narrowed when he set his eyes on me.

"So is this some bring-your-better half-over dinner? Why wasn't I informed?" Vinnie rolled her eyes at her brother.

"Did you consider the fact that you don't have a better half?" I hid my laughter into a cough.

"Hey, I have a lot of girlfriends!"

"Yeah, and we all wonder how you passed high school in the first place…" Muttered his father, as he was coming down the stairs. Vinnie's dad still kind of freaked me out, but I greeted him and shook his hand. Maybe he wasn't as bad as I had thought. Then he glanced at me, looking me like I was some kind of a villain. Maybe he was as bad as I remembered.

"He'll get used to you." Vinnie assured me. Yeah, maybe when we were happily married and had three kids and a dog.

As we walked into the living room, I saw Stephan, and apparently his better half, some blonde girl. I couldn't really judge her beauty, I couldn't really see her that way, Vinnie was always the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. She smiled and jumped up from the couch, introducing herself. Apparently Vinnie hadn't seen her before, but had heard of her. The girl introduced herself as Katy. Stephan seemed to like her a lot; I could tell that from the way he looked at her. I hoped they would be happy together.

"I feel like an outsider!" Dillon complained while we were sitting in the dinner table. Mrs. Hughes had done a wonderful work with the turkey, and I was feeling a bit rude because just couldn't stop eating.

"You don't actually bring home girls suitable for family dinners," Vinnie stated and pushed her plate forward, she was done eating.

"You're not suitable for family dinners!" Dillon said to Vinnie. Sometimes I was glad I didn't have any real brothers or sisters.

"Whatever Dillon. You don't have to look at me that long; we are going to grab some dessert in La Push." Sam and Emily had invited everyone for thanksgiving dinner. We had decided to eat the actual dinner here and then drive to eat some delicious dessert of Emily's. Somehow Mrs. Hughes didn't seem to be aware of this.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, I was kind of busy," she muttered when her mother asked her about it. Vinnie had been very busy, making out with me that is.

Her family didn't like us going to Sam and Emily's that much, but Vinnie insisted in going when I tried to say we didn't have to go. Vinnie's Dad seemed a bit pissed about it; I hoped he wasn't going to treat me like that forever, because that's how long he would have to deal with me.

"You get back on time Winona", her father ordered, just making Vinnie roll her eyes at her dad. It seemed to me that Mrs. Hughes kicked her husband under the table to keep him behaving. Vinnie had clearly inherited some traits from her mother.

Sam and Emily's was packed. I was glad I was full, because I knew that nothing of the turkey was left. My wolf/pig brothers were never satisfied, considering food I mean. Brady and Collin were running out of the house when Vinnie and I slammed the car doors shut.

"Run while you still can!" Collin shouted as they passed, but they didn't stop to explain. Vinnie just shrugged, muttering about teenage boys under her breath. I took her under my arm and hugged her, smelling her hair that smelled like a piece of my personal heaven. I walked her into the house, ignoring Collin and Brady's warnings.

"What's wrong, love?" I heard Sam ask, his voice sounding slightly panicked. Emily was weeping, again. I wondered if everything was okay with her. I had met some pregnant women before and they weren't crying all the time. Maybe it depended on the person.

"Nothing, I just thought that everything was perfect!" She cried. Vinnie took my hand and prevented me from entering the living room. She shook her head fiercely, signing she didn't want anything to do with Emily's mental breakdown. She just wasn't good with feelings. Actually I felt also better not having to stand there looking at her crying, it would be awkward.

"Can't we just go? They'll never know we were here in the first place." Vinnie whispered, looking for an emergency exit from the situation. I smiled at her but shook my head. It would just upset Emily more if Vinnie and I wouldn't show up when we had promised.

"Emily, everything is perfect, the food is great and everything!" Sam tried desperately make her feel better but it wasn't working that well.

"But now there isn't enough desert for everybody," she stuttered. She calmed down pretty fast after Sam had promised he wouldn't have to eat his. As the little scene was over, Vinnie and I made our way into the living room, where Sam was cleaning something white from the floor. I furrowed my brows. Emily noted it and chuckled.

"It's crème brûlée, Embry. I'd go get you two yours, but I already dropped Sam's so maybe you could help yourselves." She smiled at us, like nothing had happened before. If I didn't know her better I would have wagered she was faking it, the crying and all.

The desert was great and for everyone's great pleasure, Emily didn't shed another tear in that evening. All and all Thanksgiving this year had been quite successful.

"Since you all weren't here for the dinner, I would like everyone to tell us one thing they are grateful." Emily asked and told everyone she was grateful that she was having a baby. It made me smile and think just for a second that maybe someday Vinnie would be pregnant with my child too. Not that it was going to happen anytime soon.

"I am grateful that we have Emily to cook our meals!" Seth declared and everyone cheered. It made Emily very happy. I was glad that he still wanted to make everyone happy even when he really wasn't. I could tell that he wanted Leah to be there too, he missed her sister very much.

"I'm grateful for takeaway. I could never keep Paul fed if I had to cook for him!" Rachel said and made us all laugh. Paul just rolled his eyes, ending up kissing his girlfriend.

"I have many things to be grateful, but I have to say that I'm grateful that Embry imprinted on Vinnie. He has finally stopped sulking!" Of course Quil had to say something on my expense but I didn't mind.

"Yeah, I hope that's the only reason!" I glared at him playfully and continued. "I am also grateful for Vinnie. You make my life worth living for." I said and thanked her for being in my life by kissing her.

"Get a room, or at least leave this one." Jacob laughed and I just gave him the finger, making Emily glare at me. I would have gladly left right there and then, but I just settled for holding her in my arms. I could wait for a couple more hours, until she was safely in her room, in her pajamas. Jared thanked Kim for being always there for him. Jake told us that he was grateful for his family, related or not. Paul was grateful for Rachel, who washed all his laundry. That woman was a saint; I would have never ever touched Paul's dirty underwear.

"I'm thankful for my new extended family that came with Embry. You have all made me feel so welcome." Vinnie thanked my family. And it was now hers too. Emily was almost weeping again, but managed to hold her tears back.

"I love you all!" Emily declared and pulled Jared and Sam into a tight hug. That night I felt like I had it all. I had a loving family and a girlfriend who loved me. It was the most perfect Thanksgiving ever. Vinnie hugged me, smiling at Emily and everyone around her.

"I'm so thankful you're in my life Embry. There's nothing in the world I would want more than you." She whispered against my neck. I held her closer, hoping that this moment could last forever.

The vampire was getting away. I wanted to take her down so bad. I ran as fast I could but I couldn't reach her. I was falling behind. She was so fast and all my limbs felt so heavy. In the middle of the chase I recognized the forest I was running in. I could almost smell Vinnie from here. We were almost in her backyard. I almost froze when I realized that the trail of the leech led to Vinnie's house. I rushed inside, noticing that I phased back into my human form although I hadn't wanted to do that. I didn't find the vampire in kitchen as I expected. But I did found another vampire. It was pretty long and its smooth skin had a brilliant brown color under the strange pale reflection. It turned to face me. Its long black hair looked shiny, like a sun. I couldn't move when I saw her. Vinnie smiled at me, her skin like marble. I wanted to scream but nothing came out. The next thing I noticed was a long black man entering the kitchen. I hadn't seen him before but I could tell he knew Vinnie.

"I love you but I still have to kill you." He said and suddenly turned into a giant black bear. Vinnie screamed as the bear grabbed her head between his jaws and ripped it off.

I woke up all sweaty. I breathed heavily and felt a little of. It took me a while to realize it had been only a dream, nothing more. I told myself that it was only because I didn't want to let Vinnie go away for Christmas. But still, I changed into my shorts and rushed into the cold November air. It had started to snow. I didn't even think of the foot prints, all I had to do was to make sure Vinnie was still sleeping in her bed. After thinking of losing her, even if it was just a dream, I wanted to make sure she was fine.

And of course she was. I could hear her sound asleep in her room. I sat down in the shade of the trees, just listening how she breathed in and out. She wasn't dead, or a vampire. She was just my fragile human Vinnie, and I was so thankful for that. Maybe I could sneak into Virginia after all. I snorted and abandoned the idea. I knew Vinnie pretty well after all.

**AN: Any thoughts? R&R, please!**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Wow, I have outdone myself. Well, I really hope you will all like this chapter and even if you don't please let me know and review!**

**Thanks Shinoslittlesister, I'm glad someone else loves it too!**

**Thanks wolflover101canadian for reviewing! **

**And jazminandra, my most loyal reader, thanks. I'm so glad you have been reading this, and helping me in a few occasions, to inspire me to write this mostly.**

Chapter 22 (Vinnie's POV)

I held my breath for a moment and then exhaled. Christmas time was too stressful and everyone was fussing over nothing in particular. I could hear Mom downstairs, checking if Dad had everything he needed for three days. I zipped my back bag and threw it on my bed. I sat by my desk, waiting for Embry. We hadn't really agreed meeting before I left but I knew he would come. He always came. It had been almost four months of my days filled with him. I almost felt his lips down on my neck even when he wasn't with me. Sometimes I woke up in the middle of the night and my hand searched for Embry, even when he wasn't there. I was so used to his presence that I hardly used my left hand anymore since it was always in Embry's. I loved him, I did. I ached when he wasn't by my side. Something was missing if I hadn't him with me. Like now, all I wanted was to feel his hands around me, his lips on mine. To be honest, I didn't want to go, but still I did. I kind of wanted to test myself. I wanted to really know how it would feel like to be away from him. As much as I loved him and needed him to be around me, sometimes I hated myself for being so dependent on some other person than myself. I had been so independent before and for me, it was really some kind of weakness not to be able to be alone. I didn't actually want to be away from Embry, but I felt like I should want some time of my own. Julie and Russell had at least one day in the week when they didn't see each other. Julie said that it prevented her from smacking Russell whenever he irritated her. I knew it was very stupid to think what I should want, since what really mattered to me was what I actually wanted. Still, I sometimes felt like we weren't doing this dating stuff the right way. Embry and I didn't go on dates; we had had only a few in four months. We had made a giant leap in a short time from being shy and asking the other one out to just hanging in each other's rooms, doing nothing. Sometimes I felt like we were an old married couple who just lusted after each other, never actually doing anything about it. And how I lusted over him… Every single touch made me want to rip of my clothes, but that had happened only to some extent. We were never alone and it bugged me. I wanted Embry in every possible way. I wanted to have sex with him and I thought I was ready. We had never seriously talked about it, and I actually wasn't even sure if he had done it before, but I assumed he wasn't a virgin anymore.

In the middle of my pondering I heard a knock on the window. I could feel how I began felt like I was meant to feel, whole. If I didn't manage 12 hours without him, how was I ever going to manage for three whole days?

"Could you take this?" He asked and pushed me a hastily wrapped present for me before he climbed into my room. My first Christmas present from my first, and last, boyfriend. His hair was all wet. The snow had melted and I wasn't that happy about it. I loved snow. The snowball fight with the pack had been so amusing that I really wanted a re-match after losing for Quil and Seth so badly.

"I just wanted to get you something; it's not much, but something to remember me by." Embry said and wrapped his arm around me, making me feel so good. I smiled at him and started opening the present. There was a small box inside and I opened it, eager to see what he had gotten for me. I found a beautiful silver locked that was very simple, nothing fancy. I opened it and found a picture of a wolf. I never cried but now I almost felt tears rolling down my cheeks. Now he would be always close to my heart.

"It's perfect." I stated and motioned Embry to help me put it on. He put my hair aside and fastened it around my neck.

"You really like it? I thought it was simple enough for you to wear it." I kissed his cheek, making him silent. Embry was sometimes a little bit too nervous of what I thought of everything. But I couldn't really blame him. It was my turn to hand him his gift and I still wasn't sure if I had got it right.

I went to my closed, using my both hands to pull it out, just to make sure I wouldn't break it. I hadn't bothered with wrapping it in a gift paper.

"I hope you like it." I murmured and held it up so he could see it properly. I had taken that picture about a week after Thanksgiving. It was pretty amazing what you could do with your digital photographs these days. I glanced at the large framed photo that I hoped Embry would hang on his wall. It was pretty big and I thought it would look very nice above his bed. The picture was black and white and it had Embry and all his pack in it. Finally I managed to lift my eyes from the picture and look up to see Embry's reaction.

He smiled and held his arms open. I put the photo on my bed and almost ran to meat Embry's embrace.

"It's perfect. You're perfect." He said and kissed the top of my head first, moving his way down my neck. I moaned softly. His lips felt heavenly against my skin. His lips found mine and all I wanted to do was to take both of our clothes of and god knows what else.

"Vinnie, be down in five minutes!" Mom called from downstairs. I groaned but refused to let Embry go as he tried to part his lips from mine. I moved my lips down his neck and bit him gently. He groaned and pulled me tighter against his chest.

"Something to remember me by." I whispered into his ear and finally parted my lips from his skin, leaving just an inch between us.

"If you can't take that home now, you can always get it after Christmas." I said and pointed at the photo. He nodded, agreeing that it would be best if he would be driving a car when he took it home.

I took his hand and smiled at him. Three days. Three fucking days Vinnie, you can take it.

"I have to go." I managed to say. Embry pulled me close to him and hugged me. I knew he wanted me to stay and I almost asked him to ask me stay. I might have even agreed if he had asked. But he didn't and I was happy about it. We had to feel how it felt to be apart. Maybe we would appreciate each other even more when we had spent some time away from this, us.

"I will miss you so much. I love you so much." He was holding on to me like we were never going to see each other again. Three days would feel like an eternity.

"I love you too. Promise to call me, everyday?" I already knew he would, but I still had to make it sure to him that I really needed to hear his voice. He chuckled and stroked my hair.

"I will call you every two hours if you want me to." I buried my face against his chest and shook my head.

"Vinnie!" Mom called. I sighed. I took the final look in Embry's eyes. I wouldn't see those in three days. It was time to go.

It was snowing in Virginia when my Uncle Richard was driving us to my other Uncle's, Robert's house. Richard was my dad's younger brother and Robert was the oldest. I had always liked Richard better. He hadn't so much in common with dad; he was a lot more fun.

I looked out of the window, remembering all the summers and holidays I had spent around here while growing up. It had been a long time since my last visit. I had missed all this. I wanted badly to see my cousins; they were very close to me. I breathed against the car window and drew a heart on it. I smiled and thought of Embry, thinking if he was thinking of me. I felt a strong urge to call him, but I didn't. I had company and I could wait until I was lying in my bed alone.

"So Vinnie, what have you been up to lately?" Richard said after interrogating Dillon about his studies. Dillon flashed me a wicked grin as I started telling him how soccer was great and school was fine.

"You left the best part out." Dillon said out loud. I sighed and rolled my eyes at him.

"Well I saved the best part for the last. I'm dating this guy, Embry." Richard turned to look at me and lifted his left eye brow.

"You, out of all people, are dating someone?" He asked with a shocked expression on his face. He looked so much alike with Dad, with his black skin and brilliant brown eyes, that it sometimes confused me when the two of them were in the same room, they were like twins.

"Yeah, I am." I smiled like some sort of lunatic.

"She's in loooove." Dillon said, like the mature older brother he was. I touched my locked and felt the urge to look at the picture in it, but I didn't want to show it to anyone. It was my little secret, our little secret.

"Seriously?" Richard asked and I nodded him and confirmer it.

"I'm in love." I wished he would be here.

Robert's house was full of people, all relatives of mine. I didn't know half of them, but still they all seemed to know me. Some old lady, who insisted calling me Winona, hugged me tightly, and I was pretty sure we had never seen each other before.

"Winona!" A familiar voice called behind me right before he wrapped his arms around me and tickled me.

"Liam, you sneaky little thing." I said and turned around to face my cousin, who was not so little anymore. I stared at him in shock. He had always been shorter than I was, but now when I looked at him, he was almost as tall as Embry.

"You got to be kidding me, kid." He wasn't that much of a kid, being year older than I was. He grinned at me and hugged me.

"Finally, I out grew you." His expression was so confident and happy. He had achieved his lifelong dream.

"Looks like it. You're nearly as tall as my boyfriend." I did that just to make him return back to earth. He blinked and shook his head.

"I don't believe you." He laughed like I had told the best joke he had heard in a long time.

"You don't have to believe me, I can always call him." Of course Liam thought he would get me caught in a lie and urged me to call Embry.

"Whose name is Embry anyway?" Liam muttered as I hit one on the speed dial and Embry's name emerged on the screen.

"Hi honey, you're calling me already?" Embry's voice asked on the speaker phone, so that Liam would hear his voice.

"Hi. My cousin wouldn't believe I had a boyfriend, so I just had to call to make him believe me." And to see his reaction, I added to myself as I watched Liam's confused face.

"Why wouldn't anyone believe you have a boyfriend? I couldn't believe you hadn't when I met you." He muttered, upset again. I chuckled, feeling actually pretty good that Embry thought so highly of me.

"Embry, I'm sorry if I interrupted you or something, but I think I got to go now." I said when I saw my relatives coming closer to me.

"I'm just at Quil's house. We were supposed to go to Sam and Emily's, but now he just felt a sudden need to shower before we go. Don't ask, he's always this weird."

"Yeah, I think I have figured that out already. But I'll call you later, okay?"

"Whenever you want, babe. I love you."

"I love you too." I almost whispered back to him, hoping he was with me when I hang up the phone. I imagined me with him at Quil's house, maybe getting ready for another snowball fight, steeling kisses from Embry and making us lose because of it.

"Wow. You really have a boyfriend, huh?" I grinned and poked his arm.

"You're just jealous." He was about to say something, but then I noticed my other cousin, Elias, coming towards us. He was Robert's son, and I looked around to see where his sister, Alina, was. When Liam noticed my wandering gaze he glanced down at me, looking very worried.

"There's some bad news." Liam whispered to me as Elias was making his way to us. I furrowed my brow. Now that Liam had mentioned about it, pretty much everyone was looking a bit off. They seemed kind of sad.

"What's wrong?" I whispered before Elias could reach us.

"Alina has been missing for a week now. No one knows if she has just run away, or if something bad has happened." I felt sick. Alina and I never were great friends, but she was still my cousin and it made me feel awful to think what could have happened to her.

"Hi Vinnie." Elias smiled at me, looking so worried. I felt so bad for him. I could only imagine how I would feel if one of my brother's went missing. I decided not to ask anything about Alina from Elias. Maybe he wanted to bring it up himself, and if he didn't I would just have to wait until I was with Liam alone. He would tell me for sure.

"Elias, nice to see you. Wow, you and Liam seem like a foot taller from when I last saw you guys!" I tried to keep it light. I could see from my cousin's eyes how much he was hurting.

"Yeah, they put some growth hormones in the water around here." Liam tried to be funny and kissed his bicep, showoff. Elias just smiled a little, told me how happy he was to see me and vanished into the crowd.

"Come on, I want to know more about this." I said to Liam, still keeping my eyes on where Elias had just gone and took Liam's hand. I jumped in awe. His hand was hot, like he had fever.

"Are you sick?" I asked and tested his temperature from his forehead. I furrowed my brows.

"I'm okay, I'm just warm blooded." He said and just started leading me upstairs where we could talk in private. _Just warm blooded._ That sounded so familiar.

Liam opened the door to Elias's old room and we sat down. I knew I was being a bit rude, not even saying hi to Robert or my aunts, but I just needed to know what had happened with Alina.

"Tell me everything," I insisted, making Liam sigh.

"Okay. Alina had been acting weird for a while, about a month. We were thinking that she had a secret boyfriend or something like that. She was acting like she had a secret. She had some kind of meetings; we thought she was just going on dates with someone, but I think we were wrong. She went missing a week ago, it was Friday. Well she could have gone missing on Thursday evening. We noticed it because her friend had taken her mp3 player and she wasn't home when she tried to return it. We got really suspicious because she had told us she wanted time to read for her exams and she would be home the whole weekend. She wasn't at home, no one had seen her. She just vanished. I don't know what is going on, but I have this weird feeling it has something to do with us, Elias, me, Jordan, you know. She had been avoiding us for a month. I hardly saw her and she acted pretty reserved around us. I have a really bad feeling about this."

"You think she's dead?" I gasped, thinking what could have happened to her. Liam shook his head.

"I don't know, but I don't think she's dead, well at least the police don't think she's dead. They say that when people have been acting weirdly before the disappearance, they are very likely to have planned to disappear by themselves." I nodded, police's reasoning sounded logical. I was about to open my mouth and ask Liam if the police had any idea where she was, but he shook his head, guessing what I was going to say.

"They are as clueless as we are. The weird thing is that she didn't take anything with her. The only thing that was missing was a photo album. All her clothes were still there."

"This is awful." I whispered. Liam nodded. Well, this wasn't going to be so merry Christmas after all.

It was Christmas morning; I realized when I woke up. I stretched my limbs and tried to feel where Embry was but then it hit me. I was alone. Well technically, not alone. I had like a dozen of cousins living in the same house. I groaned, feeling so alone. I had called Embry the last night, speaking to him as long as I could. I knew he was missing me too, but I still didn't want to call him. I could be away from him, I tried to reassure myself, but still I found my cell phone in my hand, dialing Embry's number. I felt actually pretty guilty doing that. Just last night I had found out that Alina was missing and I should be worried, thinking where she was. Instead I was just thinking about myself and how I couldn't cope for three freaking days without my boyfriend. I sighed, feeling really bad about myself, but I called anyway. Humans are pretty selfish creatures. At least I was.

"Vinnie, I was just about to call you!" Embry's sleepy voice greeted. I chuckled at him. We were hopeless, maybe we should be joined from the hip like Embry had wanted.

"Well, I decided to make my father angry when the phone bill arrives." I grinned, just thinking how much the bill had grown after I met Embry.

"I can pay for that, it's because of me anyway." He offered. I so didn't deserve him. Karma was a bitch; I could just wait and see what she would come up to make my life miserable after giving me something so precious.

"Yeah, well you know my answer already, so let's not go into that. Aren't you downstairs opening your presents already?" I asked, feeling the urge to run downstairs and see what Santa had brought me. The child in me would never ever die.

"The only present worth opening for is in Virginia right now." He said with a husky voice, making me think about his comment in a pretty perverted way.

"You have to wait until I get home." I whispered. He was quiet for a while.

"You know I didn't mean it like that, right?" He was panicking, again.

"I kind of hope you did mean it like that." I could almost hear his grin all the way from Washington.

"Something for you to think during the holidays, darling." I told him, laughing.

"I miss you." And how I missed him. It was killing me.

I found my family with Robert and Richard downstairs. I looked around, trying to find Elias, Liam or Jordan. I had seen Liam's younger brother yesterday too and he was almost as tall Liam was. Maybe they did put growth hormones in the water around here. The kids were nowhere to be seen.

"Where is everyone?" I asked as I grumbled to the kitchen, where Robert's wife Mandy scooped some porridge for me. She smiled and gave me the sugar. She still remembered how I liked sugar in almost everything. She was a very nice woman and I was kind of sad that I didn't spend so much time with Mandy and her family anymore.

"The boys will be back in an hour. We'll open up our presents then." Richard's wife Helen came into the kitchen. She looked a lot like her son, even though they didn't share any personality traits. She was a calm woman, very serene.

"Where exactly are they?" I asked, being a bit too curious about all this.

"They are at Elias' apartment, don't you worry about them." I felt an urge to ask where Elias lived. I just had the feeling that they weren't taking a part in a snowball fight.

The front door opened without a nock and two young men, or boys, I couldn't really tell how old they were, stepped inside the house. They were both tall, very muscular guys. They reminded me of Elias, Liam and Jordan.

"Merry Christmas!" The shorter boy said with a loud voice and I could hear Richard and Robert wishing him a merry Christmas too. They both stumbled into the kitchen where I was just finishing my porridge. They stopped when they saw me and smiled politely.

"Jonathan and I just came to wish you a merry Christmas." Mandy smiled and hugged both of the boys. It came clear to me now that they were just boys, I could see it in the way Mandy and Helen treated them.

"You haven't met Vinnie yet, boys. This is Preston, he's Garry's son, you remember Garry, darling?" I did remember Garry from last night; he was like the second cousin of my dad or something, so I was actually related to this boy too. Preston was the shorter of the boy. The taller must have been Jonathan then. I shook both of their hands and almost stared both of them my mouth hanging open. Their hands were as hot as Liam's had been last night. What the hell was wrong with these boys? They left a few minutes later, leaving me to ponder if they all were sick or something. I was shaken away from my thought when Dillon ran to the kitchen and threw my jacket at me.

"Snowball fight!" He declared and grinned, all dressed up in mittens and a beanie.

"You're going down!" I shouted after him, throwing my jacket on while running outside of the kitchen.

I got a few nice presents, some of my favorite movies from Mom and Dad, the latest CD of my favorite band from Dillon and a book from Stephan. Seriously, didn't he know me at all? I didn't read. But then I noticed the book was about all the best soccer teams in Europe so I was pretty glad after all. I could read about soccer, or football, like it should have been called here too, in my opinion.

All the time we were giving out gifts, I thought about Embry, all the time. I just felt that this should have been our first Christmas together. I actually felt like crying, and I never felt like crying, never. I wanted him here with me, keeping me close to his chest so I could hear every time he breathed in and out. I longed for his company and tried to assure myself that Embry and I would have many Christmases ahead that we could spend with each other. It might actually be that next year, when we were in college, we could spend the Christmas morning in bed. Or maybe not. Mom would never forgive me if I wouldn't come home for holidays. I just wanted to share every moment of my life with him. That really scared me sometimes, but I couldn't help it. The feeling I had for him was so intense, almost involuntary. It was like my heart, it kept on beating. I couldn't stop it. And I didn't want it to stop. My life was whole now, but now I felt empty. I tried to shake it off, to think that I would see him soon; we would be leaving tomorrow evening. I was pretty sure I would see him tomorrow, I knew him that well. He would be there for me, maybe even in the airport. He would want to see me as badly as I wanted to see him. I felt like I physically needed to be with him. It almost hurt to be apart.

I touched the locket around my neck. I hadn't taken it off even once after he had given it to me. The Christmas day had been a nice day, all our old traditions, singing carols when Helen played the piano, playing Pictionary, and finally watching Grinch until everyone wanted to go to bed to sleep and digest all the food we had ate during the day. It really had been nice, seeing my cousins and all, but I hadn't really enjoyed it that much. I tried not to show it to anyone, I didn't want to ruin their fun.

When we left from the living-room, Mom took my hand and smiled at me.

"You miss him." She whispered and hugged me. It seemed that I hadn't been all that good at hiding my feelings. As Mom was hugging me, I felt a tear running down my cheek. I never cried when I had company.

"I just feel so alone when I'm not with him." I muttered. It felt oddly relived. I hardly ever told anyone how I really felt, but now saying it aloud made me feel better.

"I know honey, I know," She held me tightly against her and I was glad she was there. It was funny how you still needed your mother, no matter how old you were.

"Thanks Mom. I just really love him." She kissed my forehead and smiled.

"Anytime, darling." She left me there and climbed up the stairs. I went to the kitchen and sat down by the table. It had started snowing and I watched through the frozen window how the snow fell silently to the ground. I don't know how long I sat there, I think I might have fallen asleep. I jumped when I saw a dark figure in the yard. Maybe it was just a dream, or my imagination. I watched the snow to fall a little longer; hoping tomorrow would be here faster.

Tomorrow came a lot quicker than I had expected and in no time we were making our way out of Robert's house. Richard drove us to the airport and I felt anxious. I didn't want to sit on the plane; all I wanted was just to see Embry. I knew I wasn't being very nice to Stephan during our flight. I was fidgeting on my seat, glancing at the clock every five minutes. When we landed, I was so frustrated because it took so much time for people in front of us to take their things and head out of the plane. It was eight o'clock and I could see it had been snowing in Seattle too. We still had a long drive home.

We had our luggage and we headed to the parking lot. I stopped when I saw him. I had been right, of course I had. I dropped my suitcase on the ground and ran to him. He was leaning into his truck, waiting for me with a huge smile on his lips. He took a few steps closer to me as I still ran. He held his arms open I squealed with delight. I felt so good seeing him, I just jumped against him and he closed his arms around me. I wrapped my legs around his waist and leaned closer to him. Our noses touched and finally our lips found each other. I was so happy, I just couldn't let go of him, not ever. I moaned as his tongue touched my lower lip, making me open my mouth. I had completely forgotten about everything, the whole world around us. I felt whole now; this was the way we were supposed to be, in each other's arms. I could feel how he loved me.

Someone cleared their throat behind us and I was forced to part my lips from Embry's. He didn't let go of me, but put me down on the ground. I turned to look at my family. My father looked kind of pissed, my brother's looked very awkward, but at least Mom was smiling and looked really happy for me.

"I think we see you at home then, Vinnie?" Mom asked and I just nodded. I wasn't going to waste time with my family; I had seen them too much during the last three days anyway.

"Bye." Mom waved as they put their luggage into the trunk and drove away from the parking lot. I smiled at Embry and he opened the passenger door for me.

The car windows were frozen, he must have been waiting outside for some time now. Embry took my hand and didn't do anything to start the car.

"Pretty crappy Christmas." He murmured, still smiling at me. I took his hand and kissed him again, feeling so good when his lips touched mine. It felt like heaven to have him there, touching me. I almost wanted to show him right there and then how much I actually loved him, but I decided that sex in a public place wasn't the greatest idea. And it was pretty cold in the car, but hey, Embry would warm me up in the process. I chuckled to myself.

"We definitely need sometime alone, and soon." I said and winked at him. He grinned and kissed me again.

"I'll see what I can do about that, love." I was so happy. I was so in love.

"You know, you're the best thing that ever happened to me." I felt a tear running down my cheek, again. Embry wrapped his arms around me and I knew he felt exactly like I did.

"Let's never spend another day apart, okay?" I nodded and kissed him, tasting my salty tears in his lips. I couldn't let go of him, and I would never want to either. All the other people could just fuck off if they couldn't cope with it. Love wasn't even a big enough word to express how I felt about him. We were bound together, forever.

**A/N: Thoughts, questions? Anything? And just to compliment myself, I have almost 100,000 words in this!**


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